JP2011121314A - Method for setting image processing parameter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To implement a full recording mode of an image processing parameter setting method that determines a placing amount in the full recording mode while saving time and cost. <P>SOLUTION: Optimal and maximum typing amount of ink in the full recording mode is determined by determining the placing amount at one recording mode that is important to a user to the recording medium. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and an image processing method, and more particularly to a method for setting an image processing parameter related to an applied amount of ink.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an ink jet recording apparatus) is known as one of output devices for recording an image on various recording media such as paper. In an ink jet recording apparatus, recording is performed by a recording head ejecting ink onto a transported recording medium. In such an ink jet recording apparatus, an image having a relatively high image quality has been output in recent years, and an industrial recording apparatus that produces a recorded matter that is traded not only for personal use but also as a product. It has come to play a role to be used as.

  The size of the recording medium to be recorded is also widely used from a postcard size to a poster exceeding the B0 size. At present, it is possible to easily obtain a wide variety of recording media such as plain paper, coated paper, glossy paper, glossy film, etc., and these can be used properly according to the purpose. It has been broken. In particular, recently, cases of recording on recording media such as cloth, vinyl, and tracing paper are increasing.

  When recording on various recording media as described above with an ink jet recording apparatus, the most important thing is to allow an allowable amount of ink applied (hereinafter also referred to as “ink placement amount”) that can be absorbed by the recording medium (hereinafter referred to as “ink applied amount”). What is the maximum ink ejection amount)? If recording is performed on a recording medium that exceeds the maximum ink deposition amount of the recording medium, ink that cannot be absorbed or touched on the boundary of fine lines, characters, or graphics in the recorded image will come into contact with the recording medium. As a result, a continuous beading phenomenon occurs, causing image unevenness. In addition, there are frequent inconveniences such as the ink and the fingers and clothes are not easily dried, or the paper is bent during the recording and the head is rubbed.

  On the other hand, when the amount of ink applied is too small, the color of ink becomes poor, and the color reproduction range becomes narrow. In particular, in the case of a large-sized printer that supports large-sized recording media such as A0 size and B0 size, the cost of ink and recording media in re-recording due to these obstacles cannot be ignored.

  Conventionally, when recording on such various recording media, the input image is subjected to image processing using an image processing parameter considering the maximum ink ejection amount of the recording medium, and the characteristics of the recording medium It has been devised to bring out the maximum. The recording apparatus vendor prepares image processing parameters relating to the maximum ink usage of the recording medium in advance for various assumed recording media. However, the user obtains image processing parameters for recording media other than the assumed recording medium. Has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-142206 A

  In an ink jet recording apparatus, in many cases, so-called multi-pass recording is performed in which a recording head not only performs recording once in the same recording area, but also performs recording divided into a plurality of times. When the number of recording passes is small, streaks at the joints of passes, unevenness due to ink landing position deviation and dot diameter variation on the recording medium are conspicuous, while recording can be completed in a short time and productivity can be increased. Become. If the number of recording passes is large, image quality degradation can be overcome, but recording takes a long time.

From the above, generally, a plurality of recording modes with different numbers of passes are prepared for one recording medium, and an environment is provided in which the recording modes can be selectively used according to the purpose of the user.
Also, even with the same number of passes, due to differences in the effect on the image quality due to the transport time of the recording medium, head movement time, and ejection control, multiple recording modes are prepared, and the recording mode is set according to the user's purpose. An environment that can be used properly is provided.

  However, the appropriate maximum ink ejection amount may be different depending on the recording mode even on the same recording medium. The maximum ink ejection amount is affected by how much ink is applied around a single pass and the elapsed time since the previous ink ejection. This is because the amount will also be different. In order to individually detect the maximum ink ejection amount in all recording modes, a large amount of time, recording medium, and ink are consumed. In general, recording media that place importance on recording image quality are expensive, and in order to improve productivity, users who use custom recording media can reduce the time and cost to optimize the maximum ink ejection. Setting the amount is a challenge.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to realize an image processing parameter setting method that determines the amount of shots in all recording modes while saving time and cost.

  Therefore, an image processing parameter setting method according to the present invention is a setting method for setting an image processing parameter for recording an image on a recording medium using a recording head, and includes at least one of a plurality of recording modes for recording the image. A recording mode selecting step for selecting one recording mode, a recording step for recording a plurality of confirmation patterns in accordance with the recording mode selected by the recording mode selection step, and the plurality of confirmation patterns recorded by the recording step. A confirmation pattern selection step of selecting at least one of the confirmation patterns from the image, and a first image processing parameter determination for determining an image processing parameter of the selected recording mode from the confirmation pattern selected by the confirmation pattern selection step Step and the first image processing parameter determination step A second image processing parameter determination step for determining an image processing parameter of at least one recording mode that is not selected in the recording mode selection step among the plurality of recording modes from the image processing parameters determined And.

  The image processing parameter setting method of the present invention includes a recording mode selection step of selecting at least one recording mode from among a plurality of recording modes. The image processing parameter setting method includes a recording step of recording a plurality of confirmation patterns according to the recording mode selected in the recording mode selection step. The image processing parameter setting method further includes a confirmation pattern selection step of selecting at least one confirmation pattern from a plurality of confirmation patterns recorded by the recording step. The image processing parameter setting method further includes a first image processing parameter determination step for determining an image processing parameter for the selected recording mode from the confirmation pattern selected in the confirmation pattern selection step. Further, in the image processing parameter setting method, a second image processing parameter determination for determining an image processing parameter of a recording mode not selected in the recording mode selection step from the image processing parameter determined in the first image processing parameter determination step. A process is provided. As a result, it is possible to realize an image processing parameter setting method that determines the driving amount for all recording modes while saving time and cost.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a recording system according to a first embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the mechanical structure of a printer. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of a printer. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the image processing of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating parameter information regarding the maximum ink ejection amount of a recording medium. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating parameter information regarding a maximum ink placement amount. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a maximum ink placement amount setting method. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen displayed on a display apparatus. It is the schematic which shows the pattern to record. 10 is a flowchart of a maximum ink placement amount setting method according to the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen displayed on the display apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. (A), (b) is a block diagram which shows a multipurpose sensor.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a recording system according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, a host 100 as an information processing apparatus is an apparatus connected to a printer (recording apparatus) 200 such as a personal computer or a digital camera. The host 100 includes a CPU 10, a memory 11, a storage unit 13, an input unit 12 such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an interface 14 for communication with the printer 200. The CPU 10 executes various processes according to programs stored in the memory 11. These programs are supplied from an external device such as a CD-ROM to be stored in the storage unit 13 or stored in advance in the storage unit 13.

  The host device 100 is connected to a display 300 as a display device via the interface 14, and displays the state of the memory 11 and the storage unit 13, and displays the operation result from the input unit 12 such as a keyboard and a mouse. can do. The host apparatus 100 is connected to a printer 200 as a recording apparatus via an interface, and print data represented by R, G, and B in an image processing process to be described later and a table for subsequent image processing are stored in the printer 200. Send. Based on the transmitted image processing information, the printer 200 executes image processing such as color processing and binarization processing, which will be described later, and recording characteristic correction processing related to the present embodiment. In addition, recording data subjected to image processing can be recorded.

<Printer configuration>
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the mechanical configuration of the printer 200 described above. A plurality of recording media 1 such as recording paper and plastic sheets are stacked in a cassette (not shown) or the like, and are supplied one by one by a paper supply roller (not shown) during recording. Then, the fed recording medium is conveyed by the first conveying roller 3 and the second conveying roller 4 arranged at regular intervals at a timing corresponding to the scanning of the recording head in the conveying direction (sub-scanning). (Also referred to as a direction). The first conveying roller 3 is composed of a pair of rollers, a driving roller driven by a stepping motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates with the rotation of the driving roller. It consists of a pair of rollers. Note that the printer (hereinafter also referred to as a recording apparatus) 200 can perform recording on a roll-shaped recording medium in addition to a recording medium that is stacked in a cassette and cut into a predetermined size.

  The recording head 5 is an ink jet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). The recording head 5 in this embodiment is formed as an aggregate of a plurality of separated recording heads. Each separated recording head forming the recording head 5 as an aggregate has a nozzle row. Ink is supplied to the recording head 5 from an ink cartridge (not shown). The recording head 5 is driven according to the ejection signal to eject ink of each color from each nozzle forming the nozzle row. That is, an electrothermal conversion element (heater) is provided in each nozzle that ejects ink. Then, bubbles are generated in the ink using thermal energy generated by driving the electrothermal conversion element according to the discharge signal, and the ink is discharged by the pressure of the bubbles. Further, in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present embodiment, so-called multipass recording is performed in which recording is performed by the recording head moving once or more with respect to the same recording area.

  The recording head 5 is mounted on the carriage 6. The driving force of the carriage motor 2 is transmitted to the carriage 6 through the belt 7 and the pulleys 8a and 8b, whereby the carriage 6 can reciprocate along the guide shaft 9, and the recording head 5 scans in the main scanning direction. Can be performed. A multipurpose sensor 102 is mounted on the side surface of the carriage 6. The multipurpose sensor 102 is used for detecting the density of ink ejected on a recording medium, detecting the width of the recording medium, detecting the distance to the recording medium, and the like.

  In the above configuration, the recording head 5 can perform recording by forming ink dots on the recording medium 1 by ejecting ink from the recording head according to the ejection signal while reciprocating in the direction of arrow B. it can. The recording head 5 moves to the home position as necessary, and recovers from a discharge failure state due to nozzle clogging or the like by performing a recovery operation by a discharge recovery device provided at the home position position. After recording scanning (movement while ejecting ink) by the recording head 5, the conveyance roller pairs 3 and 4 are driven to convey the recording medium 1 in the direction of arrow A by a predetermined amount. By alternately repeating the recording scan of the recording head 5 and the conveying operation of the recording medium, it is possible to record an image or the like on the recording medium 1.

  Next, the multipurpose sensor (image reading device) 102 mounted on the carriage 6 will be described with reference to FIG. 12A and 12B are configuration diagrams showing the multipurpose sensor 102. FIG. 12A shows a plan view of the multipurpose sensor 102, and FIG. 12B shows a cross-sectional view thereof. The multipurpose sensor 102 is arranged such that the measurement area is located downstream of the recording surface of the recording head 5, and the lower surface of the multipurpose sensor 102 is at the same position as or higher than the lower surface of the recording head 5. The multi-purpose sensor 102 includes two phototransistors, three visible LEDs, and one infrared LED as optical elements, and each element is driven by an external circuit (not shown). The infrared LED 201 has an irradiation angle of 45 degrees with respect to the surface (measurement surface) of the recording medium parallel to the XY plane, and the center of the irradiation light is a sensor central axis 202 parallel to the normal line (Z axis) of the measurement surface. And are arranged so as to intersect at a predetermined position. The two phototransistors 203 and 204 are sensitive to light having wavelengths from visible light to infrared light. When the measurement surface is at the reference position, the phototransistors 203 and 204 are installed such that the light receiving axis thereof is parallel to the reflection axis of the infrared LED 201. LED 205 is a single color visible LED having a green emission wavelength (about 510 to 530 nm), LED 206 is a blue emission wavelength (about 460 to 480 nm), and LED 207 is a single color visible having a red emission wavelength (about 620 to 640 nm). LED.

  The CPU (not shown) performs on / off control signal output for the infrared LEDs 201 and visible LEDs 205 to 207 and calculation of output signals obtained according to the amounts of light received by the phototransistors 203 and 204. It is stored in the memory of the figure. In addition, as the multipurpose sensor, a spectrocolorimeter that measures the intensity for each wavelength of light may be used.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the printer 200 described above. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 20 of the control system includes a CPU 20a such as a microprocessor, a ROM 20c, a RAM 20b, and the like as memories. The ROM 20c stores various data such as a control program for the CPU 20a and parameters necessary for the recording operation. The RAM 20b is used as a work area for the CPU 20a, and temporarily stores various data such as image data received from the host device and generated recording data. The ROM 20c stores an LUT (Look Up Table) as a table to be described later with reference to FIG. 7, and the RAM 20b stores patch data for recording patches. Note that the LUT may be stored in the RAM 20b, and similarly, the patch data may be stored in the ROM 20c.

  The control unit 20 inputs / outputs data and parameters used for recording image data and the like to / from the host 100 via the interface 21, sets image processing parameters, and various information (for example, characters) from the operation panel 22. Pitch, character type, etc.) are input. Further, the control unit 20 outputs an ON / OFF signal for driving the motors 23 to 26 via the interface 21. Further, an ejection signal or the like is output to the driver 28 to control driving for ejecting ink in the recording head. The control system includes an interface 21, an operation panel 22, and drivers 27 and 28. The driver 27 drives the carriage driving motor 23, the paper feed roller driving motor 24, the first conveying roller pair driving motor 25, and the second conveying roller pair driving motor 26 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 20a. The driver 28 drives each recording head 5.

Next, an image processing method for generating recording data used by the printer 200 by the host device 100 and the printer 200 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of image processing according to the present embodiment. In the image processing of the present embodiment, image data (luminance data) of 8 bits (256 gradations) for each color of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) is input. Finally, 1-bit bit image data (recording data) of each nozzle array group ejected by the C nozzle array group, the M nozzle array group, the Y nozzle array group, the K nozzle array group, the S1 nozzle array group, and the S2 nozzle array group ) Is output. Note that the color type and the color gradation are not limited to these values. First, in the host device 100, image data expressed by R, G, B multi-value luminance signals is converted into R, G, B multi-value data using a multi-dimensional LUT 401. This color space conversion pre-processing (hereinafter also referred to as pre-stage color processing) is the difference between the color space of the input image represented by the R, G, B image data on the recording target and the color space reproducible by the printer 200. This is done to correct In the case of a system that simulates a printing result in a printing machine such as an offset printing machine, the image data may be C, M, Y, K multivalued as the ink color of the printing machine. In that case, the color space C, M, Y, and K multivalues that can be reproduced by the printer are similarly converted.

  The R, G, B or C, M, Y, K color data that has been subjected to the pre-stage color processing is transmitted to the printer 200. The printer 200 uses the multidimensional LUT 402 to receive R, G, B, or C, M, Y, K multi-valued data, which has been subjected to pre-stage color processing, received from the host device, as C, M, Y, K multivalued data. Convert to This color conversion processing (hereinafter also referred to as post-processing) is a CMYK image of a printer output system for expressing input RGB RGB or printing ink color CMYK image data expressed by luminance signals as density signals. This is done to convert the color to data. Next, the output γ correction is performed on the C, M, Y, and K multivalued data subjected to the subsequent color processing by the one-dimensional LUT 403 of each color. Usually, the number of dots recorded per unit area of the recording medium and the recording characteristics such as reflection density obtained by measuring the recorded image do not have a linear relationship. Therefore, for example, C, M, Y, and K multi-level input gradation levels so that the input gradation level of 10 bits for each of C, M, Y, and K and the density level of the image recorded thereby have a linear relationship. An output γ correction process is performed to correct. In the color conversion process or the output γ correction, it is general to convert the data into CMYK data that does not exceed the maximum amount in consideration of the maximum ink application amount (maximum ink application amount).

  Next, binarization processing 405 is performed. Since the printer 200 of the present embodiment is a binary recording apparatus, the 8-bit data for each of the C, M, Y, and K colors obtained as described above is quantized into 1-bit data for each of the C, M, Y, and K colors. It becomes. In this embodiment, an error diffusion method is used as a binarization method. Since the quantization method using the error diffusion method itself is a known technique, its description is omitted here. In addition to the error diffusion method, a dither method may be used as the binarization means. Furthermore, index expansion using an index pattern may be performed. Thereafter, a pass distribution process 405 is performed according to a mask pattern or the like, and the data of each ink color is distributed for each pass to generate data to be recorded by each nozzle row of each ink color.

Here, the parameter set for the maximum driving amount will be described.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing parameter information relating to the maximum ink ejection amount of the recording medium, and is recorded in the memory 11 of the host device 100, the storage unit 13, or the ROM 20c and RAM 20b of the printer 200. The recording media A to F are recording media registered in advance in the host device 100 or the recording device 200. The recording modes 1 to 3 are recording modes used when recording on each recording medium, and the recording conditions such as the number of times the recording head moves relative to the same area are different (for example, the first number Second number of times). The maximum hit amount information is a numerical value indicated by D501 to D503 or the like, and indicates the amount of ink to be hit around a pixel of a unit area on the recording medium. For example, in the case of a recording resolution of 1200 dpi × 1200 dpi, this is the ink duty value when the case where 1444,000 dots of ink are ejected to 1440000 pixels is taken as 100%. The maximum ink ejection amount of the recording medium already registered in the recording apparatus is predefined for the recording modes 1 to 3 corresponding to the recording medium, and all the recording modes 1 to 3 for each recording medium. The maximum ink ejection amount information is held as a set.

  The number of registered recording media, the number of recording modes, and the maximum driving amount are not limited to this. Further, the driving amount may be held in the form of a numerical value expressed by a mathematical expression or a coefficient instead of an actual ink duty, or a stage where a certain range is defined.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing parameter information relating to the maximum ink ejection amount used when setting the maximum ejection amount of a recording medium not registered in the recording apparatus. The parameter information is recorded in the host device 100 memory 11, the storage unit 13, and the ROM 20 c and RAM 20 b of the printer 200. “Less”, “Slightly less”, “Standard”, “Slightly more”, and “Large” are candidates for the maximum driving amount registered in the host apparatus 100 or the recording apparatus 200 in advance. Recording modes 1 to 3 are recording modes used when recording on each recording medium. The maximum printing amount information is a numerical value shown in D601 to D603, D701 to D703, D701 to D703, and the like, and indicates the amount of ink to be printed around a unit area of pixels with respect to the recording medium, similarly to D501 to D503 in FIG. ing. The maximum ink ejection amount is defined in advance for the recording modes 1 to 3, and all maximum ink ejection amount information in the recording modes 1 to 3 is held as a set for each maximum ink ejection amount candidate. The maximum driving amount information set is individually defined for each recording medium type (a) to (c). The recording medium type refers to a type classified by physical properties or texture of the recording medium, such as plain paper, coated paper, and glossy paper. Since the characteristics with respect to the ink ejection amount differ depending on the ink jet receiving layer and the base material, a maximum ink ejection amount candidate suitable for the characteristics is prepared according to the recording medium type.

  The number of registered maximum implantation amount candidates, the number of recording modes, the number of recording medium types, and the maximum implantation amount are not limited to this.

  Further, the driving amount may be held in a form such as a numerical value converted into a mathematical expression or a coefficient instead of an actual duty, or a stage in which a certain range is defined.

  The following is a characteristic configuration of the present embodiment. By recording a confirmation pattern in one recording mode and determining the maximum ink ejection amount in all recording modes, an arbitrary recording medium (hereinafter also referred to as a custom recording medium) A method for setting the maximum ink ejection amount parameter will be described.

  The processing is started when a command for setting the maximum ink deposition amount is input from the input unit 12 of the host apparatus 100 or the operation panel 22 of the recording apparatus 200. Here, an example in which commands from the input unit 12 of the host device 100 are displayed on the display device 300 and operated will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for setting the maximum ink placement amount. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display device 300 for explaining the operation of the maximum ink placement amount setting method. When the ink placement amount setting execution command is input, a recording medium type that matches the custom recording medium is selected in step S1001 on the screen shown in the screen U2001 in FIG. In step S1002, a recording medium similar to the custom recording medium is selected from the recording medium types selected in step S1001 as a reference recording medium (reference recording medium selection step). The reference recording medium is a recording medium registered in advance in the host device 100 or the recording device 200. When the “Next” button on the screen U2001 is pressed, the screen shifts to the screen U2002. In step S1003, the maximum ink ejection amount set information of the reference recording medium selected in step S1002 is set as the maximum ink ejection amount parameter of the custom recording medium. In the screen U2002, when the “OK” button is pressed without changing the maximum ink placement amount in step S1004, the maximum ink placement amount set in step S1003 becomes the maximum ink placement amount parameter of the custom recording medium. . When the maximum ink placement amount is changed in step S1004, the maximum ink placement amount set candidate information of the recording medium type selected in step S1001 is acquired. When a “trial print ...” button is pressed on a screen U2002, the screen shifts to a screen U2003.

  On the screen U2003, a recording mode for recording a confirmation pattern when the maximum ink ejection amount is changed in step S1006 is selected (recording mode selection step). Here, it is effective to select a recording mode that is important to the user. When the “print start” button is pressed on the screen U2003, in step S1007, a check pattern (hereinafter also simply referred to as a pattern) of the recording mode driving amount selected in step S1006 is recorded. The CPU 20a of the recording apparatus drives the paper feed motor 24 to start supplying the recording medium from the paper feed tray. After the recording medium is transported to an area where recording by the recording head is possible, the transport operation of the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction and the recording scanning in the main scanning direction of the carriage 6 that has driven the carriage motor 23 are alternately performed. .

  By recording the confirmation pattern while repeating the scanning of the recording head and the conveyance of the recording medium according to the present embodiment, a plurality of patterns with different maximum ink ejection amounts are formed on the recording medium.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a pattern to be recorded. P3001 to P4 in FIG. 9 are patterns for confirming the maximum ink ejection amount. For example, P3001 is a color gradation pattern with which the color developability of the image can be confirmed. For example, P3002 is a pattern formed with fine lines so that the reproducibility and interruption of the fine lines can be confirmed. For example, P3003 is a pattern formed of characters so that the visibility and bleeding of the characters can be confirmed. For example, P3004 is a pattern in which patches of a plurality of colors are adjacent to each other so that bleeding and beading of a color boundary line can be confirmed. P4001 to P4 in FIG. 9 are the same as the ink ejection amounts of P3001 to P4, the maximum ink ejection amount set of the reference recording medium selected in step S1002 in FIG. 7 and the maximum ink ejection amount of the recording medium type acquired in step S1005. Change and record based on the set information. For example, P4001 records based on the maximum ink placement amount set information of the reference recording medium selected in step S1002. For example, P4002 records based on the “small” maximum ink ejection amount set information acquired in step S1005. For example, P4003 records based on the “slightly small” maximum ink placement amount set information acquired in step S1005. For example, P4004 records based on the “standard” maximum ink placement amount information acquired in step S1005. For example, P4005 records based on the “slightly large” maximum ink placement amount set information acquired in step S1005. For example, P4006 records based on the “large” maximum ink placement amount set information acquired in step S1005.

  The recording mode for recording the pattern is the recording mode selected in step S1006, and the maximum ink ejection amount uses the value of the recording mode in each maximum ink ejection amount set. For example, the recording medium type selected in step S1001 is “recording medium type (A)”, the reference recording medium selected in step S1002 is “recording medium A”, and the recording mode selected in step S1006 is “recording mode 1”. If there is, the maximum ink placement amount is as follows. P4001 is 180%, P4002 is 140%, P4003 is 160%, P4004 is 180%, P4005 is 200%, and P4006 is 220%. Although the printing amounts of P4001 and P4004 are the same, the ink color separation results in the color conversion process 402 are not necessarily the same. Subsequently, on the screen U2004, in step S1008, an optimum maximum ink placement amount pattern is selected from the recorded patterns P4001 to P4001 (confirmation pattern selection step). The selection of the pattern may be based on visual determination or determination based on density or color value by the multipurpose sensor (image reading device) 102. When the “OK” button is pressed on the screen U2004, in step S1009, the maximum ink placement amount of the recording mode selected in step S1006 is determined (first image processing parameter determination step). For example, if the maximum ink ejection amount pattern selected in step S1008 is “slightly large”, the maximum ink ejection amount in the recording mode “recording mode 1” (first recording mode) selected in step S1006 is “ 200% ". Subsequently, in step S1010, the maximum ink ejection amount set corresponding to the recording mode and the maximum ink ejection amount determined in step S1009 is set as the maximum in ejection amount of the custom recording medium (second image processing parameter determination). Process). For example, when the maximum ink ejection amount in the recording mode “recording mode 1” selected in step S1006 is “200%”, the maximum ink ejection amount is “220%” in the “recording mode 2” (second recording mode). "," Recording mode 3 "becomes" 240% ".

  Note that the ink duty of the maximum ink placement amount pattern selected in step S1008 and the registered maximum ink placement amount do not have to be exactly the same, and are calculated by offsetting or multiplying by a coefficient according to various conditions. It doesn't matter.

  In this embodiment, a serial printer has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a full multi printer or the like may be used.

  As described above, by determining the printing amount in one printing mode that is important for the user on the printing medium, the optimum maximum ink printing amount in all the printing modes can be determined. As a result, the maximum ink ejection amount in the important recording mode becomes the optimum value, and the maximum ink ejection amount in the other recording modes is set to an appropriate value according to the medium. Therefore, it is possible to determine the amount of printing in all recording modes while saving time (confirmation pattern recording time) and cost (ink and recording medium).

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Since the basic configuration of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, only the characteristic configuration will be described below.

  In the first embodiment, the pattern is recorded in one recording mode and the maximum ink placement amount in all recording modes is determined. However, the pattern may be determined by recording patterns in a plurality of recording modes. This is because the recording mode important for each user is not always one. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a pattern is recorded in a plurality of recording modes, and an optimum maximum ink ejection amount for all the recording modes is determined.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the maximum ink placement amount setting method according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display device 300 for explaining the operation of the maximum ink placement amount setting method of the present embodiment. Steps S1001 to S1010 are the same as the processing flow shown in FIG. 7 of the first embodiment, and screens U2001 to U2004 are the same as those shown in FIG. When the “OK” button is pressed on the screen U2004. A screen U2005 is displayed. On the screen U2005, a printing amount change recording mode for recording a confirmation pattern when the maximum ink printing amount is changed in step S1011 is selected. A recording mode other than the recording mode selected in step S1006 is displayed on the selection screen of the screen U2005. If the “End” button is pressed on the screen U2005 screen without changing the maximum ink ejection amount in step S1011, the already set maximum ink ejection amount set becomes the maximum ink ejection amount parameter of the custom recording medium. When the maximum ink placement amount is changed in step S1011, when the “print start” button is pressed on the screen U2005, in step S1012, the placement amount candidate pattern in the placement amount change recording mode selected in step S1011 is recorded. The pattern is the same as the pattern shown in FIG.

  Subsequently, on the screen U2006, in step S1013, an optimum maximum ink placement amount pattern is selected from the recorded patterns P4001 to P4001. When the “OK” button is pressed on the screen U2006, in step S1014, the maximum ink ejection amount in the ejection amount change recording mode selected in step S1011 is determined. In step S1015, the maximum ink ejection amount set in step S1014 is set as the maximum ink ejection amount in the ejection amount change recording mode selected in step S1011 among the recording mode determined in step S1009 and the maximum ink ejection amount set corresponding to the maximum ink ejection amount. Amount. By repeating steps S1011 to S1015, the maximum ink placement amounts for a plurality of recording modes are set.

  For example, in contrast to the example described in the first embodiment, the maximum ink when the printing amount change recording mode selected in step S1011 is “recording mode 2” and the pattern selected in step S1013 is “many”. The amount of driving is as follows. “Recording mode 1” is “200%”, “Recording mode 2” is “240%”, and “Recording mode 3” is “240%”.

  Note that the ink duty of the maximum ink ejection amount pattern selected in step S1008 or step S1013 and the registered maximum ink ejection amount do not have to be exactly the same. You may calculate by multiplying.

  As described above, by determining the printing amount in a plurality of printing modes important for the user on the printing medium, the optimum maximum ink printing amount in all the printing modes can be determined. As a result, the maximum ink ejection amount in the important recording mode becomes the optimum value, and the maximum ink ejection amount in the other recording modes is set to an appropriate value according to the medium. Therefore, it is possible to determine the amount of printing in all recording modes while saving time (confirmation pattern recording time) and cost (ink and recording medium).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Recording head 6 Carriage 11 Memory 20 Control part 21 Interface 22 Operation panel 23 Carriage motor 100 Host apparatus 102 Multipurpose sensor 200 Recording apparatus (printer)
300 Display device

Claims (11)

In a setting method for setting an image processing parameter for recording an image on a recording medium using a recording head,
A recording mode selection step of selecting at least one recording mode from a plurality of recording modes for recording the image;

A recording step of recording a plurality of confirmation patterns according to the recording mode selected by the recording mode selection step;
A confirmation pattern selection step of selecting at least one confirmation pattern from the plurality of confirmation patterns recorded by the recording step;
A first image processing parameter determination step for determining an image processing parameter of the selected recording mode from the confirmation pattern selected by the confirmation pattern selection step;
An image processing parameter of at least one recording mode that is not selected in the recording mode selection step among the plurality of recording modes is determined from the image processing parameter determined in the first image processing parameter determination step. A second image processing parameter determination step;
A setting method characterized by comprising:   2. The setting according to claim 1, wherein the first image processing parameter determination step and the second image processing parameter determination step determine an image processing parameter for a recording medium registered in advance in a recording apparatus. Method.   The first image processing parameter determination step and the second image processing parameter determination step determine an image processing parameter of a recording medium different from an image processing parameter for a recording medium registered in advance in a recording apparatus. The setting method according to claim 1.   The plurality of recording modes include a first recording mode in which the number of relative movements of the recording head with respect to the same recording area in the recording medium is a first number, and the number of relative movements is the first number in the recording medium. The setting method according to claim 1, further comprising a second recording mode that is a second number of times different from the number of times.   The setting method according to claim 1, wherein the image processing parameter includes information for determining an ink application amount.   The setting method according to claim 1, wherein, in the confirmation pattern selection step, the pattern is selected by visual observation by a user.   The setting method according to claim 1, wherein in the confirmation pattern selection step, the pattern is selected based on a value read by an image reading device.   The setting method according to claim 1, wherein the image processing parameters include a plurality of image processing parameters corresponding to all of the plurality of recording modes.   9. The setting method according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of image processing parameters include different image processing parameters corresponding to each recording mode in the plurality of recording modes.   9. The setting method according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of image processing parameters include different image processing parameters corresponding to different recording media.   The setting method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of image processing parameters include a step of selecting a recording medium recorded in advance in a recording device.

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