JP2006094022A - Image forming apparatus, its control method, and control program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus for raising visibility in at least one of an output manuscript and an operation panel, and to provide its control method and a control program. <P>SOLUTION: A character recognizer 101 analyzes input image data which are read by an image input 31 and detects the size of character data when the character data are recognized. A character size determining part 102 determines whether the detected character size is larger than a prescribed size or not. When it is determined that the size is smaller than the prescribed size by the determination, an image forming part 103 magnifies the character at least to the prescribed size so as to form the image. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image including characters, a control method thereof, and a control program, and more specifically, an image forming apparatus configured to improve the visibility of character information on an output document and character information on an operation panel The present invention relates to a control method and a control program.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, image forming apparatuses such as copiers and multifunction peripherals are various in consideration of visibility on output manuscripts and operation panels in order to improve usability for visually impaired persons (low-sighted persons, persons with reduced visual acuity, etc.) Proposed.

  Among these, for example, “Image forming apparatus and control method thereof” described in Patent Document 1 and “Copying machine with editing function” described in Patent Document 2 are known as devices that take into account the visibility of an output document.

  In the invention of Patent Document 1, the readability of a reduced printed image (whether or not it can be read) when the original image is reduced and printed during Nup (printing the contents of N pages into one page) mode processing. ), And when it is determined that the readability is insufficient, a technique of canceling Nup printing is mentioned.

Further, the invention of Patent Document 2 refers to a technique in which if an enlargement area is designated on a document with a marker pen or the like, only the designated area can be automatically enlarged and copied.
JP 2003-134323 A JP 04-104573

  By the way, in recent years, the amount of information per document has increased as the performance of image forming apparatuses such as copiers and multifunction machines has increased, and the characters in the output manuscript have become smaller. It was difficult for people to recognize the characters.

  In addition to the above-mentioned improvements in performance, the functions that can be performed on the operation panel are becoming more and more complex, and there is a problem that characters and pictures on the screen are blurred and difficult to see, especially for people with myopia and hyperopia. It was.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides an image forming apparatus, a control method thereof, and a control program for improving the visibility of at least one of an output document and an operation panel. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is an image forming apparatus for forming an image including characters. Character recognition means for recognizing characters included in the image; and characters recognized by the character recognition means. A discriminating unit for discriminating the size; and an image processing unit for enlarging the character to at least the predetermined size when the size of the character discriminated by the discriminating unit is smaller than a predetermined size. It is characterized by doing.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the image processing means determines that there is a character smaller than the predetermined size among the characters included in the image by the determining means. Is characterized in that the entire image is enlarged so that the smallest character among the characters smaller than the predetermined size becomes the predetermined size.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the image processing means determines that there is a character smaller than the predetermined size among the characters included in the image by the determining means. Is characterized in that a character smaller than the predetermined size is selectively enlarged so as to have the predetermined size.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the image processing means enlarges the character by changing a font size of the character smaller than the predetermined size.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third or fourth aspect of the invention, the image processing means selectively enlarges characters included in a designated area in the image.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, the display means for displaying the image including the character, and the display for displaying the image processed by the image processing means on the display means And a control means.

  The invention of claim 7 is the touch panel according to claim 6, wherein the display means is a touch panel for displaying an image including a plurality of operation buttons formed on an operation panel and a text area for displaying a message. Features.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to claim 7, further comprising enlargement processing means for selectively enlarging a message character included in the text area by touching the text area of the touch panel. And

  Further, in the invention of claim 9, in the invention of claim 8, if the message cannot be displayed in the text area by the enlargement processing of the characters of the message included in the text area by the enlargement processing means, the message is displayed. It further comprises message editing means for shortening and changing.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the control method of the image forming apparatus for forming an image including characters, the character recognition unit recognizes the character included in the image, and the character recognition unit recognizes the size of the character recognized by the character recognition unit. When the size of the character determined by the determining unit is smaller than a predetermined size set in advance, the character is enlarged to at least the predetermined size by the image processing unit.

  The invention of claim 11 is a control program for causing a computer to execute processing of an image forming apparatus for forming an image including characters, a character recognition step for recognizing characters included in the image, and the character recognition step. A determination step for determining the size of the character recognized in step (b), and an image for enlarging the character to at least the predetermined size when the size of the character determined in the determination step is smaller than a predetermined size. And a processing step.

  According to the present invention, when a character included in an image is recognized, the size of the recognized character is determined, and the determined character size is smaller than a predetermined size, the character is Since the image is formed so as to be enlarged at least to a predetermined size, the visibility of the output document is improved, so that the convenience of the visually impaired can be particularly improved.

  In addition, when the screen displayed on the operation panel is touched with the touch panel, the characters of the message included in the touched area are selectively enlarged, so the visibility on the operation panel can be improved. As above, the convenience of the visually impaired can be improved.

  Embodiments of an image forming apparatus, a control method thereof, and a control program according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a multifunction machine 1 to which an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is applied. If the functions of the present invention are executed, a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) may be used regardless of whether it is a single device or a system composed of a plurality of devices. The present invention can be applied even to a system in which processing is performed through connection.

  In FIG. 1, the multifunction device 1 is roughly divided into an operation panel 10 that is an interface between the multifunction device 1 and a user, a controller unit 20 that performs overall control of the multifunction device 1, and an image based on an instruction from the controller unit 20. And an engine unit 30 that performs input / output processing.

  The operation panel 10 is a user interface including input devices such as a touch panel and hard buttons, and display devices such as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) and LCDs (Liquid Crystal Display).

  The controller unit 20 is a main CPU (Central CPU) that performs operation control and management of each unit in accordance with a panel I / F (Interface) 21 that exchanges data with the operation panel 10 and a system memory 23 that will be described later. Processing Unit) 22, a system memory 23 that is a work area for executing programs, a display memory 24 that is an area for synthesizing a screen image to be displayed on the operation panel 10, and a temporary image image. An image memory 25 for storing, an input unit I / F (Interface) 26 for exchanging data such as an input image image and an image input unit 31 to be described later, and an exchange of data such as an output image image and an image output unit 32 to be described later Output unit I / F (Interface) 27 and a storage unit 28 for holding and managing various data

  The engine unit 30 includes an image input unit 31 such as a scanner device that reads image data formed on paper or the like, and an image output unit 32 such as a printer device that forms image data on paper or the like. In this configuration, control processing according to the present invention is mainly performed in the main CPU 22.

  The above is the description of the system configuration diagram of the multifunction machine 1 according to the present invention. Although not shown in the figure, in addition to this, the multifunction device 1 includes a communication unit that is an interface device for communicating with other devices via a telephone line, a network, and the like, and each configuration of the multifunction device 1. A power supply control unit for controlling power supply to the elements is appropriately provided.

  Here, a first embodiment of the multifunction machine 1 having the system configuration as shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a part of the functional configuration of the main CPU 22 according to the first embodiment. Here, only the constituent elements according to the present invention will be described. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In FIG. 2, the main CPU 22 includes a character recognition unit 101, a character size determination unit 102, an image forming unit 103, and a display control unit 104 as various processing function units.

  The character recognition unit 101 is a processing unit that analyzes input image data read by the image input unit 31 and recognizes character data. Here, when the character data is recognized, the size of the recognized character data is detected. The character size detection method detects, for example, the size (height), width, and number of points of a character.

  The character size determination unit 102 is a processing unit that determines whether the character data recognized by the character recognition unit 101 described above is larger than a predetermined character size. Here, when the character size of the character data recognized by the character recognition unit 101 is smaller than a preset character size, the recognized character data is converted into a preset character size in a process described later. An enlarged image is formed.

  The image forming unit 103 is a processing unit that performs image forming processing by enlarging the character data included in the input image data based on the determination result in the character size determining unit 102 described above. Although details will be described later, character data enlargement processing in the image forming unit 103 can be roughly divided into two methods, that is, enlargement of only the minimum character data and enlargement of the entire input image data including the minimum character data. is there. The character data enlargement process in the image forming unit 103 may be enlarged vertically and horizontally, or may be enlarged independently vertically and horizontally.

  The display control unit 104 is a processing unit that controls display of the image data processed by the image forming unit 103 described above on the operation panel 10. The above is the description of each functional block showing a part of the functional configuration of the main CPU 22.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a read original and an output original on which image data is formed by enlarging the character data on the read original. Here, two methods (a) and (b) are shown as character data enlargement processing in the image forming unit 103.

  First, (a) enlarges all the data in the read original in order to enlarge the character data of the minimum size among the character data in the read original to a preset character size. Referring to FIG. 5A, the character data of “Sashisuseso” among “Aiueo”, “Kakikukeko”, and “Sashisuseso” in the read document is smaller than a preset character size. As a result, the output manuscript is expanded to include the text data “Aiueo” and “Kakikukeko” in the scanned manuscript in order to enlarge the character data of “Sashisuseso” to a preset character size. Yes.

  Next, (b) is an enlargement of the character data of the minimum size among the character data in the read document to a preset character size. At this time, only the character data of the minimum size is enlarged. In FIG. 6B, the character data of “Sashisuseso” among “Aiueo”, “Kakikukeko”, and “Sashisuseso” in the read document is smaller than a preset character size. As a result, the output document is output by expanding the character data of “Sashisuseso” to a preset character size. In this case, “aiueo” and “kakikukeko” are not enlarged because they are larger than a preset character size.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the control process in the multifunction machine 1 shown in FIG. Here, an operation when a copy process is executed in the multifunction machine 1 will be described.

  In FIG. 4, this control process is started when a minimum font size is input by the user (step S101). For example, the minimum font size desired by the user is input on the minimum font size designation screen shown in FIG. The minimum font size is a character size that serves as a determination reference when the character size determination unit 102 performs determination processing. That is, it is determined whether or not the minimum character size in the copy source document is larger than the character size input here in the process described later.

  When the user finishes inputting the minimum font size, the user presses the start button to execute the copy process (step S102). When the start button is pressed, the multi function device 1 reads the copy source document set on the paper feed tray (step S103), and the character recognition unit 101 analyzes input image data and recognizes character data (step S103). S104). As described above, the character recognition unit 101 recognizes character data from the input image data, and detects the size of the recognized character data.

  If all the copy source documents have not been read (NO in step S105), the processes in steps S103 and S104 are continued until all the copy source documents have been read. When the copy source document reading process is completed (YES in step S105), it is determined whether or not the minimum character size of the copy source document is larger than a predetermined character size (step S106). This determination process is performed in the character size determination unit 102.

  If it is determined as a result of the determination process that the minimum character size in the copy source document is the same or larger than the character size input in step S101 (NO in step S106), the normal copy process is executed (step S109). This control process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the minimum character size in the copy source document is smaller than the character size input in step S101 (YES in step S106), the image forming unit 103 determines that the minimum character size in the copy source document is smaller than the character size input in step S101. After enlarging the minimum character size (step S107), copy processing is executed (step S108), and this control processing is terminated.

  In the first embodiment, the case where the minimum font size is input at the start of the copy process has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the minimum font size is previously stored in a nonvolatile memory or the like in the multifunction device 1 by a machine administrator or the like. If the user desires a copy process with a minimum font size specified during the copy process, the setting information may be read and the copy process executed.

  If the number of output originals increases if the minimum font size is increased in the image forming unit 103, the double-sided printing function may be automatically used to suppress the number of printed sheets as much as possible, or an enlarged continuous shooting function ( The original page may be divided into a plurality of pages and enlarged and printed to prevent the layout from being damaged.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the minimum character size is designated and the character data smaller than the designated size is enlarged to form an image, so that it is possible to prevent the characters in the output document from being small and difficult to see. As a result, it can be used with peace of mind by people with low vision and the elderly, increasing convenience.

  Next, a second embodiment of the multifunction machine 1 having the system configuration as shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

  In the second embodiment, in addition to the control processing described in the first embodiment, an embodiment in which only a selected area is enlarged to form an image will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram illustrating a part of the functional configuration of the main CPU 22 according to the second embodiment. In addition, what attached | subjected the code | symbol same as FIG. 2 which demonstrated the said Example 1 operate | moves substantially the same.

  In FIG. 6, the main CPU 22 includes a selection range detection unit 105 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment.

  When the original read by the image input unit 31 is marked with a mark, for example, character data to be enlarged by a marker, the selection range detection unit 105 uses the character recognition unit 101 to input image data within the mark. Work together to recognize. That is, only the character data marked on the read document is recognized by the character recognition unit 101, and only the marked character data is selectively enlarged in the image forming unit 103. The above is the description of each functional block showing a part of the functional configuration of the main CPU 22 according to the second embodiment.

  In the second embodiment, the case where the area marked on the read original is selectively enlarged has been described. However, the area desired to be enlarged is selected from the image data of the read original displayed on the operation panel 10. Only the character data in the selected area may be selectively enlarged.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, since the character data to be enlarged can be selected from the read original, it is possible to selectively enlarge only the character data desired to be enlarged, and further convenience. Will increase.

  Next, a description will be given of a third embodiment of the multifunction machine 1 having the system configuration as shown in FIG.

  In the third embodiment, in addition to the control process described in the first embodiment, an embodiment in which the visibility of the operation panel 10 is improved will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram illustrating a part of the functional configuration of the main CPU 22 according to the third embodiment. In addition, what attached | subjected the code | symbol same as FIG. 2 which demonstrated the said Example 1 operate | moves substantially the same.

  In FIG. 7, the main CPU 22 includes an enlargement processing unit 106 and a message editing unit 107 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment.

  The enlargement processing unit 106 is a processing unit that enlarges and displays an area selected by the user in the screen displayed on the operation panel 10. As described above, the operation panel 10 is a touch panel, and displays an enlarged area selected by the user on the touch panel. Although details will be described later, the enlargement processing unit 106 may enlarge the message in the text area or enlarge the bitmap image in the bitmap area.

  The message editing unit 107 edits the message when the text area is enlarged by the above-described enlargement processing unit 106 and the message in the text area is enlarged and the message does not fit in the area. To display. The above is the description of each functional block showing a part of the functional configuration of the main CPU 22 according to the third embodiment.

  With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, a display mode when enlarging a specific area in the screen displayed on the operation panel 10 will be described.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of a screen before enlargement of the specific area (upper arrow) and a screen after enlargement of the specific area (lower arrow). Here, an aspect in which the text area is enlarged and displayed will be described.

  Here, when the user touches the area “Can copy” and “Remaining memory 100%” surrounded by a dotted line in the screen before enlargement of the specific area (above the arrow), the specific area is specified. As shown in the screen after area enlargement (lower arrow), only the touched area is enlarged and displayed.

  In this case, as a result of enlarging and displaying “100% of remaining memory”, the message is edited because it does not fit within the predetermined text area, and the enlarged screen (below the arrow) displays “Memory 100% Is displayed.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of a screen before enlargement of the specific area (upper arrow) and a screen after enlargement of the specific area (lower arrow). Here, a mode in which the bitmap area is enlarged and displayed will be described.

  Here, when the user touches the “job memory call” area surrounded by a dotted line in the screen before the specific area expansion (upper arrow) from the touch panel of the operation panel 10, the screen after the specific area expansion (lower side of the arrow) As shown in (), only the touched area is enlarged and displayed. When “Job memory call” is enlarged, only “Job memory” is displayed because it does not fit in the bitmap area.

  In this case, by operating a hard button (for example, a numeric keypad) provided on the operation panel 10, the “job memory” can be scrolled to recognize the whole.

  As a method of canceling the enlarged area, the enlargement may be canceled when the enlarged display area is pressed again, or the enlargement may be automatically canceled when there is no operation for a certain period. In addition, a clear key may be provided on the operation panel 10 and the enlargement may be canceled by pressing the clear key.

  Further, in the above description, the case where the area touched by the user on the touch panel of the operation panel 10 is enlarged and displayed on the screen has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the area touched by the user is displayed on another screen, for example, You can also display it in a pop-up window.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the control process in the multifunction machine 1 according to the third embodiment. Here, a description will be given as processing after the multifunction device 1 has shifted to the enlargement mode. The enlargement mode is set in advance in the machine administrator mode or the like, and is a mode in which the screen of the operation panel 10 can be enlarged and displayed for each region.

  In FIG. 10, this control process is started when a specific area or other button is touched on the touch panel of the operation panel 10 by the user (step S201).

  If the text area is pressed by the user (YES in step S201), the display control unit 104 acquires an enlarged message of the text area (step S202), and expands the message in the display memory 24 (step S202). In step S203, display control is performed on the operation panel 10 (step S204).

  At this time, since the enlarged message does not fit in the text area, the message has a non-display portion such as being edited and displayed, and the user desires to display the non-display portion and scrolls (for example, When the (numeric keypad) button is pressed (YES in step S205), the display control unit 104 expands the non-display portion in the display memory 24 based on the user instruction and controls display on the operation panel 10 (step S206).

  Thereafter, when the text area is pressed again (YES in step S207), the text area is returned to the message display before the enlargement, the process returns to step S201, and again waits for the touch panel to be pressed.

  When the bitmap area is pressed by the user in step S201 (NO in step S202, YES in step S209), the display control unit 104 acquires a bitmap image of the bitmap area (step S210). The bitmap image is enlarged at a predetermined magnification and developed in the display memory 24 (step S211), and the display is controlled on the operation panel 10 (step S212). The magnification for enlarging the bitmap image is set in advance in the enlargement mode in the machine manager mode or the like.

  At this time, since the enlarged bitmap image does not fit in the bitmap area, the bitmap image has a non-display portion, and the user desires to display the non-display portion and presses the scroll (eg, numeric keypad) button. If so (YES in step S213), the display control unit 104 expands the non-display portion in the display memory 24 based on the user instruction and controls display on the operation panel 10 (step S214).

  Thereafter, when the bitmap area is pressed again (YES in step S215), the bitmap area is returned to the display before enlargement, the process returns to step S201, and the touch panel is again pressed.

  If the operation button on the touch panel is pressed by the user in step S201 (NO in step S201, NO in step S209, and YES in step S217), the process corresponding to the operation button is executed ( In step S218), the process returns to step S201 and again waits for the touch panel to be pressed.

  In the third embodiment, the case where a specific area in the operation panel 10 is enlarged and displayed has been described. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the entire screen before enlargement (upper arrow) is enlarged. The display may be controlled as shown in the enlarged screen (below the arrow). In this case, when the pre-enlargement screen (upper arrow) is displayed, the font size is detected from the style sheet, and control is performed so as to enlarge if the detected font size is smaller than the predetermined font size.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, when the user touches (selects) the touch panel of the operation panel 10, the touched area is enlarged and displayed, and thus displayed on the operation panel 10. Therefore, the visibility on the operation panel 10 can be improved, and in particular, the convenience for visually impaired persons can be improved.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is applied to the multifunction device 1 has been described. However, the control method of the image forming apparatus is executed by a control program installed in the multifunction device 1. It may be configured.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to a multi-function peripheral, and can be applied to general image forming apparatuses such as a printer and a copier.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown above and shown in the drawings, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications within a range not changing the gist thereof. For example, the control processing of the MFP 1 to which the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is applied has been described using the first to third embodiments. However, all or a part of the embodiments of the first to third embodiments are combined. You may implement.

  The image forming apparatus and its control method and control program according to the present invention can be applied to all image forming apparatuses such as printers, copiers, and multifunction machines, and are particularly suitable for visually impaired persons (such as amblyopia and those with reduced vision). It can be used effectively when an easy office environment is established.

1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a multifunction machine 1 to which an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is applied. It is a functional block diagram which shows a part of functional structure of main CPU22 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of enlargement processing in the image forming unit 103 illustrated in FIG. 2. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of control processing in the multifunction machine 1 shown in FIG. 1. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen layout (minimum font size designation screen) displayed on the operation panel 10. FIG. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram illustrating a part of a functional configuration of a main CPU 22 according to a second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating a part of a functional configuration of a main CPU 22 according to a third embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the display mode at the time of enlarging the specific area in the screen displayed on the operation panel 10 concerning Example 3 (text area expansion). It is a figure which shows an example of the display mode at the time of enlarging the specific area in the screen displayed on the operation panel 10 concerning Example 3 (bitmap area expansion). 10 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of a control process in the multifunction machine 1 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the operation panel 10 according to the third embodiment (other modified example).

Explanation of symbols

1 MFP 10 Operation Panel 20 Controller 21 Panel I / F (Interface)
22 Main CPU (Central Processing Unit)
23 System Memory 24 Display Memory 25 Image Memory 26 Input Unit I / F (Interface)
27 Output unit I / F (Interface)
28 storage unit 30 engine unit 31 image input unit 32 image output unit 101 character recognition unit 102 character size determination unit 103 image forming unit 104 display control unit 105 selection range detection unit 106 enlargement processing unit 107 message editing unit

Claims (11)

In an image forming apparatus that forms an image including characters,
Character recognition means for recognizing characters included in the image;
Discrimination means for discriminating the size of the character recognized by the character recognition means;
And an image processing unit for enlarging the character to at least the predetermined size when the size of the character determined by the determining unit is smaller than a predetermined size set in advance. . The image processing means includes
When it is determined by the determining means that there is a character smaller than the predetermined size among the characters included in the image, the smallest character among the characters smaller than the predetermined size is the predetermined size. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the entire image is enlarged so that The image processing means includes
When it is determined by the determining means that there is a character smaller than the predetermined size among the characters included in the image, a character smaller than the predetermined size is selectively set to the predetermined size. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the enlargement process is performed. The image processing means includes
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the character is enlarged by changing a font size of the character smaller than the predetermined size. The image processing means includes
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a character included in a designated area in the image is selectively enlarged. Display means for displaying an image including the character;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a display control unit that displays an image image-processed by the image processing unit on the display unit. The display means includes
The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image forming apparatus is a touch panel that displays an image including a plurality of operation buttons formed on an operation panel and a text area for displaying a message. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an enlargement processing unit that selectively enlarges a character of a message included in the text area by touching the text area of the touch panel. The message editing means for shortening and changing the message when the message cannot be displayed in the text area by the enlargement process of the characters of the message included in the text area by the enlargement processing means. Item 9. The image forming apparatus according to Item 8. In a control method of an image forming apparatus for forming an image including characters,
Recognizing characters included in the image by a character recognition means,
The size of the character recognized by the character recognition means is determined by the determination means,
A control method characterized by enlarging the character to at least the predetermined size by the image processing means when the size of the character determined by the determining means is smaller than a predetermined size set in advance. A control program for causing a computer to execute processing of an image forming apparatus that forms an image including characters,
A character recognition step for recognizing characters included in the image;
A determination step of determining the size of the character recognized in the character recognition step;
A control program comprising: an image processing step for enlarging the character to at least the predetermined size when the size of the character determined in the determining step is smaller than a predetermined size set in advance.

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