JP2013141757A - Print controller, method of controlling print and print control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To correctly dry and cure ink on a print medium while preventing damage from occurring on the print medium.SOLUTION: A print controller includes: a temperature information acquisition unit which acquires information indicating a set temperature for drying the print medium with the ink printed; and a control unit which prints the ink on the print medium by decreasing at least an amount of ink corresponding to density exceeding predetermined density in the amount of ink for use in the printing if the acquired information indicates a temperature lower than a predetermined reference temperature, from the amount of the ink for use in printing according to the density exceeding the predetermined density if the acquired information indicates the reference temperature.

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control apparatus, a print control method, and a print control program.

In some cases, the ink on the print medium is dried and cured (dried) by applying heat to the print medium on which the ink has been printed with a heater. In such a drying process, if the set temperature of the heater is high, the print medium may be damaged (damaged) due to the influence of heat. For example, when the printing medium is a seal composed of a mount and a film attached to the mount, and the print medium after the film is colored with ink is dried, the mount and the film are affected by heat. The above damages such as bubbles and peeling may occur between the two.
Here, the difference in dot size formed by generating the drive signal of the ink discharge unit based on the characteristic information indicating the characteristic of the ink discharge unit and the output of the temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the ink discharge unit There is known a printing apparatus that suppresses this (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-96407 A

  As one method for eliminating damage to the print medium due to the drying process as described above, it is conceivable to lower the set temperature of the heater. However, when the set temperature of the heater is lowered, the ink on the print medium may not be sufficiently dried and cured. Note that the temperature sensor as provided in the above document cannot detect the temperature of the heater used for the drying process, and therefore cannot perform a control process according to the heater temperature.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve at least the above-described problems, and is capable of accurately drying and curing ink on a print medium while suppressing occurrence of damage to the print medium, A print control method and a print control program are provided.

  One aspect of the print control apparatus according to the present invention includes a temperature information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a set temperature for a drying process on a print medium on which ink is printed, and the acquired information is a predetermined reference. In the case where the temperature is lower than the temperature, the ink amount corresponding to a density exceeding at least a predetermined density among the ink quantities used for the printing is represented by the predetermined density when the acquired information indicates the reference temperature. And a control unit that executes printing of the ink onto the printing medium by reducing the amount of ink used for printing corresponding to the density exceeding.

  According to this configuration, when the set temperature of the drying process is lower than the reference temperature, printing is performed by reducing the amount of ink corresponding to a density exceeding a predetermined density. Therefore, it is possible to firmly dry and harden the ink on the print medium while avoiding damage to the print medium due to heat during the drying process. In addition, since the amount of ink used is changed (reduced) only in the density range where the original ink amount is large, the color of the image reproduced on the print medium deviates from the target color (the printed material Color shift) can be suppressed as much as possible.

  As one aspect of the present invention, when the acquired information indicates a temperature higher than the reference temperature, the control unit determines the amount of ink used for the printing, and the acquired information It may be configured to reduce the amount of ink used when the acquired information indicates the reference temperature in a manner different from the case where the temperature is lower than the reference temperature. According to this configuration, the amount of ink used for printing is reduced even when the set temperature of the drying process is higher than the reference temperature. Therefore, the user's desire to sufficiently dry and cure the ink in a short time by raising the set temperature for the drying process can be surely met.

  As one aspect of the present invention, the control unit acquires a correspondence relationship between the temperature unevenness of the heater used for the drying process and a region on the print medium, and is printed on the print medium based on the correspondence relationship. The degree of reduction of the ink amount may be different for each region constituting the image to be printed. According to this configuration, even when the heat generated by the heater is uneven depending on the location, the ink amount is reduced in consideration of the unevenness.

  As one aspect of the present invention, the control unit includes a plurality of ink layers including a layer printed using an ink different from the predetermined color ink and a layer printed using the color ink. In the case where printing is performed in an overlapping manner, the ink amount may be reduced for the color ink. According to this configuration, the ink amount of the color ink layer is reduced when a base layer made of white ink, metallic ink, or the like and a color ink layer made of color ink printed on the base layer are printed on a print medium. For this reason, the effect of white ink or metallic ink is not impaired.

  As one aspect of the present invention, the control unit may be configured to vary the degree of reduction of the ink amount according to the drive pattern of the recording head used for the printing. Different recording head drive patterns require different times for drying, so by varying the amount of ink reduction depending on the drive pattern, the ink color can be dried and cured, as well as the color of the printed matter. Deviation can be kept to a minimum.

  As one aspect of the present invention, the control unit may be configured to vary the degree of ink amount reduction in accordance with a difference in the conveyance speed of the print medium. Different printing media transport speeds require different times for drying, so by varying the amount of ink reduction depending on the transport speed, the color of the printed matter can be reduced with sufficient ink drying and curing. Deviation can be kept to a minimum.

  The technical idea according to the present invention is not realized only in the form of a print control apparatus. For example, the invention of a print control method having processing steps executed by the above-described print control apparatus and the above-described print control apparatus are realized. It is also possible to grasp the invention of a print control program that causes predetermined hardware (computer) to execute the function to perform. The print control apparatus may exist as a single apparatus, may be realized as a system including a plurality of apparatuses, or may be incorporated as a part of another apparatus (for example, a printing apparatus). .

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the apparatus concerning this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship of a part of the configuration of a printer. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a print control process according to the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a color conversion LUT. It is a figure which shows an example of a conversion function. It is a figure which illustrates the division | segmentation of the range according to the heater temperature nonuniformity, and the temperature characteristic for every range. It is a figure which illustrates a mode that image data was divided | segmented into the several image area | region.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1. FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of a print control apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The print control apparatus 1 includes, for example, a computer 10 and a printer 20. Alternatively, the print control apparatus 1 may be either the computer 10 or the printer 20. The print control apparatus 1 is an execution subject of the print control method. In the computer 10, the CPU 11 that is the center of the arithmetic processing controls the entire computer 10 via the system bus. ROM 12, RAM 13, various interfaces (I / F 18, etc.) are connected to the bus, and a hard disk (HD) 14 as storage means is connected via a hard disk drive (HDDRV) 15. The HD 14 stores an operating system, application programs, a printer driver 14d, and the like, and these are read by the CPU 11 to the RAM 13 and executed as appropriate.

  The HD 14 also includes a normal LUT 14a, a low temperature LUT 14b, and a high temperature LUT 14a as a color conversion lookup table (LUT) in which color information in a predetermined output color system is associated with a plurality of grid points in a predetermined input color system. The LUT 14c and the like are stored. The printer driver 14d and these LUTs 14a, 14b, and 14c will be described later. Further, the computer 10 includes a display unit 16 configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display, an operation unit 17 configured by, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch pad, and a touch panel.

  The printer 20 is an example of a printing apparatus that is controlled by the computer 10. Of course, the printer 20 may be capable of realizing the printing process by the function of its own device without depending on the control of the computer 10. The printer 20 has not only a printing function for a printing medium but also a function for performing a drying process on the printing medium after the printing process. In the printer 20, the I / F 24 is connected to the I / F 18 on the computer 10 side so as to be wired or wirelessly communicable, and a printer control IC 25, a heater control IC 30 and the like are connected via a system bus. The heater control IC 30 is connected to a dryer (heater) 31 for realizing the drying process, and controls the operation and set temperature of the heater 31.

  In the printer control IC 25, the CPU 21 appropriately reads software (firmware) stored in the ROM 22 or the like to the RAM 23 and executes predetermined control. The printer control IC 25 is an IC that mainly executes control for print processing, and is connected to the recording head 26, the head driving unit 27, the carriage mechanism 28, and the medium feeding mechanism 29 to control each unit. The recording head 26 is ink for each type of ink (for example, cyan (C) ink, magenta (M) ink, yellow (Y) ink, black (K) ink, light cyan (Lc) ink, light magenta (Lm) ink). Various types of ink are supplied from the cartridge, and an image is formed on the print medium by ejecting (discharging) ink droplets (dots) from a plurality of nozzles corresponding to the various inks. The printer control IC 25 outputs applied voltage data corresponding to raster data representing an image to be printed to the head drive unit 27. The head drive unit 27 generates and outputs an applied voltage pattern (drive waveform) to the piezoelectric element formed corresponding to each nozzle of the recording head 26 from the applied voltage data, and outputs it to the recording head 26 for each ink type. Dots are ejected.

  The carriage mechanism 28 is a drive device that is controlled by the printer control IC 25 to reciprocate a carriage (not shown) along a guide rail (not shown) provided in the printer 20. A recording head 26 is mounted on the carriage, and the recording head 26 reciprocates (main scans) along the guide rail as the dots are ejected. The medium feeding mechanism 29 is controlled by the printer control IC 25 to transport the print medium in the transport direction by a roller or the like (not shown). The printer 20 includes a display unit 32 configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display, and an operation unit 33 configured by, for example, a button or a touch panel. Note that the printer 20 may employ not only an ink jet type but also a printer that prints an image by another mechanism such as a thermal type or a sublimation type, or a line head type.

  FIG. 2 illustrates the positional relationship of a part of the configuration of the printer 20 from the viewpoint from above the printer 20. As shown in FIG. 2, in the printer 20, a direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the recording head 26 is a conveyance direction of the printing medium M, and the printing medium M passes below the recording head 26. The printing medium M that has passed under the recording head 26 (the printing medium M that has received ink discharged by the recording head 26) passes under the heater 31 by traveling along the transport direction. The heater 31 is composed of a plurality of heaters, for example. In the example of FIG. 2, as the heater 31, a first heater 31a provided on the side closer to the recording head 26 in the conveyance direction and a first heater 31a provided at a position farther from the recording head 26 than the first heater 31a in the conveyance direction. 2 heaters 31b. The first heater 31a and the second heater 31b are, for example, infrared heaters, and both are controlled by the heater control IC 30.

  Both the first heater 31a and the second heater 31b can apply heat to the object (print medium M) over the entire width of the print medium M in the main scanning direction. For example, the first heater 31a to which the print medium M approaches first plays a role of drying ink on the print medium M to some extent by mainly sending warm air to the print medium M. Further, the second heater 31b that the printing medium M approaches after the first heater 31a operates at a temperature higher than the temperature of the first heater 31a, and plays a role of sufficiently curing the ink on the printing medium M. The reason why the temperature of the first heater 31 a is lower than that of the second heater 31 b is that the first heater 31 a is installed at a position closer to the recording head 26. In this embodiment, as will be described later, it is possible to change the set temperature of the heater 31 in accordance with a user instruction. However, such change basically changes the set temperature of the second heater 31b. means.

2. Print Control Process FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a print control process executed by the CPU 11 of the computer 10 according to the printer driver 14d in this embodiment.
In step S <b> 100, the CPU 11 reads out and acquires image data selected by the user as a print target from a predetermined storage area such as the HD 14. The user can arbitrarily select image data to be printed by operating the operation unit 17 while visually recognizing a user interface (UI) screen displayed on the display unit 16. It is assumed that the image data is data defined in the input color system of the color conversion LUT used for each pixel in the color conversion process (step S150) described later. In this embodiment, as an example, the sRGB (red, green, blue) color system is used as the input color system of the color conversion LUT. Note that if the acquired image data does not correspond to the input color system, the CPU 11 appropriately converts the acquired image data into data of the input color system. Further, the CPU 11 can appropriately perform resolution conversion processing, image quality correction processing, and the like on the image data.

  In step S110, the CPU 11 determines what the selected drying process mode is, and branches the process according to the determination result. The user operates the operation unit 17 while visually recognizing the UI screen displayed on the display unit 16, or operates the operation unit 33 while visually recognizing the UI screen displayed on the display unit 32 of the printer 20. The mode of the drying process by the printer 20 can be arbitrarily selected from a plurality of modes.

  In the present embodiment, for example, the printer 20 includes a normal mode, a low temperature mode, and a high temperature mode as drying processing modes. The normal mode is a mode in which the drying process is executed with the set temperature of the second heater 31b as a predetermined reference temperature (for example, 90 degrees). The normal mode is a default, and the normal mode is selected unless the user changes the drying process mode. The low temperature mode is a mode in which the drying process is executed with the set temperature of the second heater 31b as a predetermined temperature lower than the reference temperature. The low-temperature mode is selected by the user when it is particularly desired to prevent the print medium from being damaged by heat during the drying process (for example, when using a print medium that is easily damaged by heat). Alternatively, the low temperature mode may be automatically selected when the medium set as the printing medium used for printing is a specific type of medium that is easily damaged by heat. The high temperature mode is a mode in which the drying process is executed with the set temperature of the second heater 31b as a predetermined temperature higher than the reference temperature. The high temperature mode is mainly selected by the user when it is desired to finish the drying process in a short time.

  The selection result of the drying process mode is stored in, for example, a memory in the heater control IC 30 of the printer 20. The CPU 11 reads out the selection result stored in the memory to determine what the drying process mode is. If the mode is the normal mode, the process proceeds to step S130. If the mode is the low temperature mode, the process proceeds to step S120. If so, the process proceeds to step S140. Note that the selection result of the drying process mode stored in the memory can be said to be information indirectly indicating the set temperature for the drying process, and thus the CPU 11 and the printer driver are realized in realizing the process of step S110. It can be said that 14d functions as a temperature information acquisition unit.

In step S130, the CPU 11 sets the normal LUT 14a stored in the HD 14 as the color conversion LUT used in the color conversion process.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the normal LUT 14 a is a one-to-one combination of a plurality of grid points (RGB values) in the sRGB color system (a combination of ink amounts of each of the CMYKLcLm inks used by the printer 20, ink This is a table that defines a quantity set. The ink amount set corresponds to color information in the output color system. The R, G, and B values defined by the normal LUT 14a and the C, M, Y, K, Lc, and Lm values are all expressed with a predetermined gradation (for example, 0 to 255 gradations). It can be said that each gradation value of CMYKLcLm as the ink amount indicates the density of the ink in the print medium. The normal LUT 14a is generated and stored in advance based on the color reproduction characteristics of the printer 20 by a known method.
On the other hand, in step S120, the low temperature LUT 14b is set as the color conversion LUT, and in step S140, the high temperature LUT 14c is set as the color conversion LUT.

Here, differences between the normal LUT 14a, the low temperature LUT 14b, and the high temperature LUT 14c will be described.
FIG. 5 illustrates a conversion function F1 (solid line) for generating the low temperature LUT 14b, a conversion function F2 (two-dot chain line) for generating the high temperature LUT 14c, and the like. The functions F1 and F2 are functions for converting the input gradation value (0 to 255) into the output gradation value (0 to 255). When the function F1 is compared with the function F0 (dashed line) that defines input = output, the input> output is higher than the predetermined input tone value p1 on the higher density side (high tone side, more ink amount side). Below the adjustment value p1, a conversion relationship in which input = output is defined. On the other hand, when compared with the function F0, the function F2 defines a conversion relationship in which input> output (however, input = output when the input gradation value is 0) over the entire density range.

  The low temperature LUT 14b is generated by correcting the ink amount set defined by the normal LUT 14a with the function F1. That is, each ink amount (0 to 255) of CMYKLcLm constituting the ink amount set defined by the normal LUT 14a is converted by the function F1, and the ink amount set including the converted ink amounts is converted into the ink amount before conversion. The low temperature LUT 14b is generated by associating with the RGB values with which the set was associated. As a result, the ink amount corresponding to at least a density exceeding the predetermined density (density indicated by the gradation value p1) of the ink quantity used for printing exceeds the predetermined density when the set temperature of the drying process is the reference temperature. The low temperature LUT 14b can be obtained in which the amount of ink used for printing corresponding to the density (that is, the amount of ink specified by the normal LUT 14a) is reduced.

  Similarly, the high temperature LUT 14c is generated by correcting the ink amount set specified by the normal LUT 14a with the function F2. As a result, the high-temperature LUT 14c in which the amount of ink used for printing is reduced as a whole than the amount of ink used when the set temperature of the drying process is the reference temperature (the amount of ink normally defined by the LUT 14a) is obtained. can get. The low-temperature LUT 14b and the high-temperature LUT 14c differ in the aspect of ink amount reduction as compared with the normal LUT 14a.

  Such a low temperature LUT 14b and a high temperature LUT 14c may be stored in the HD 14 in advance and selected in any one of steps S120 and S140. Alternatively, the low temperature LUT 14b and the high temperature LUT 14c are not stored in the HD 14 in advance, and the low temperature LUT 14b is generated based on the normal LUT 14a and the function F1 at the timing of step S120, and the normal LUT 14a and the function F2 are generated at the timing of step S140. Based on this, the high temperature LUT 14c may be generated.

  In step S150, the CPU 11 refers to the color conversion LUT (any one of the normal LUT 14a, the low temperature LUT 14b, and the high temperature LUT 14c) set in any of steps S120, S130, and S140, and prints the image to be printed. Color-convert data. As a result, image data having an ink amount set of CMYKLcLm is generated for each pixel. Of course, depending on the difference in the color conversion LUT referred to during color conversion, at least a part of the ink amount set constituting the image data is different. It can be said that the CPU 11 and the printer driver 14d function as a control unit in that at least steps S120, S140, and S150 can be realized.

  In step S160, the CPU 11 performs so-called halftone processing on the color-converted image data. In the halftone process, a known method such as a dither method or an error diffusion method is used to generate halftone data that defines ejection / non-ejection of dots for each pixel and each ink type constituting the image data. In step S170, the CPU 11 performs a predetermined rasterizing process on the halftone data, and generates raster data for each ink type in which the data is rearranged in the order in which the recording head 26 ejects ink. In step S180, the CPU 11 outputs a print command including raster data to the printer 20 via the I / F 18.

  As a result, on the printer 20 side, the printing process as described above is executed based on the raster data under the control of the printer control IC 25. Further, the printer 20 transports the printed print medium to the heater 31 and executes a drying process by the heater 31. At this time, the heater control IC 30 operates the heater 31 after changing the set temperature of the heater 31 according to the drying process mode selected at that time.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the mode of the drying process by the printer 20 is selected as the low temperature mode, the ink on the high density side exceeding a certain density as compared with the case where the normal mode is selected. The amount was reduced. Therefore, even when the temperature of the heater 31 is lowered to avoid damage to the print medium due to heat during the drying process (when the low temperature mode is selected), the ink is not sufficiently dried and cured. Can be avoided. In addition, the amount of ink is limited to a relatively high density image area (an area where ink drying or curing may be insufficient) even though the ink amount is reduced in the low temperature mode compared to the normal mode. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the deviation (color deviation of the printed matter) between the color originally expressed by the image data to be printed and the color reproduced on the printing medium.

  Further, when the mode of the drying process by the printer 20 is selected as the high temperature mode, the ink amount is reduced as a whole (over the entire density range) as compared with the case where the normal mode is selected. I made it. Therefore, it is possible to reliably meet the user's desire to set the heater 31 to a high temperature and finish the drying process in a short time.

  Note that the drying processing modes provided in the printer 20 are not necessarily limited to the three modes described above, and may be, for example, only the normal mode and the low temperature mode. Alternatively, the printer 20 may include more than three drying processing modes, and perform color conversion using color conversion LUTs having different prescribed ink amounts according to each mode (different set temperatures of the heater 31). Good. In the above description, the color conversion LUT is selected or generated according to the difference in the set temperature of the drying process before the color conversion process (step S150). However, the color conversion process is executed using the same color conversion LUT regardless of the difference in drying process set temperature, and the image data after color conversion is converted into a conversion function (function F1 or function F1 corresponding to the difference in drying process set temperature). Correction may be made by function F2).

  Further, the user may designate the set temperature of the drying process directly via the operation unit 17 (33), instead of selecting the difference in the set temperature for the drying process in the mode. The set temperature designated as such is stored in a memory in the heater control IC 30. Instead of determining the drying process mode in step S110, the CPU 11 reads the numerical value of the set temperature stored in the memory, and after step S110, converts the color conversion LUT or conversion function corresponding to the read set temperature to HD14. Read or generated from the image, and the ink amount differs according to the set temperature (the ink amount corresponding to a density exceeding at least a predetermined density is reduced compared to the case where the set temperature is the reference temperature) Data may be generated. Of course, the heater control IC 30 operates for the drying process after setting the temperature of the heater 31 to the set temperature designated at that time. Alternatively, the printer 20 may have a temperature sensor in the vicinity of the heater 31 (31b). Then, the CPU 11 acquires the temperature read by the temperature sensor instead of determining the drying processing mode in step S110, and after step S110, converts the color conversion LUT or conversion function corresponding to the read temperature to HD14. It is also possible to read out or generate the image data and generate image data having different ink amounts depending on the temperature.

3. Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following embodiments (modifications) are also possible. It is. The contents appropriately combined with the above-described embodiment and each modification are also within the scope of disclosure of the present invention. In the following, the description of matters similar to those described so far will be omitted as appropriate.

Modification 1:
Ideally, the heater 31 has a uniform temperature (set temperature) in the width direction (main scanning direction in FIG. 2), but in reality, temperature unevenness may occur. For example, in the product characteristics of the heater 31, the heater temperature tends to be lower in the ranges A and B (see FIG. 2) at both ends of the entire range in the width direction of the heater 31 than in the range C other than the ranges A and B. Suppose there is. Then, it is assumed that the range delimiter according to the temperature unevenness in the heater 31 and the temperature characteristics for each range are stored in the memory in the heater control IC 30 in advance.

  FIG. 6 exemplifies information 30a describing a range delimiter according to temperature unevenness in the heater 31 and a temperature characteristic for each range. According to the information 30a, the temperature characteristics of the ranges A and B are 90% with respect to the temperature characteristics of the range C of 100%. This means the degree of realization of the set temperature instructed by the heater control IC 30 to the heater 31. In the range C, the set temperature is almost 100%, while in the ranges A and B, the temperature is about 90% of the set temperature. It is only realized. It should be noted that specific values are actually entered in A, B, and C indicating the ranges. Of course, the number of ranges to be divided is not limited to three. When the CPU 11 sets the color conversion LUT or the like according to the temperature of the drying process, the CPU 30 reads such information 30a from the heater control IC 30 and changes the color conversion LUT or the like for each area of the image data based on the information 30a. .

  For example, when the low temperature mode LUT 14b is set as the color conversion LUT because the low temperature mode is selected, the low temperature LUT 14b is set as it is for the image region corresponding to the range C, and the image regions corresponding to the ranges A and B are set. The amount of ink defined more than the low temperature LUT 14b is reduced (for example, the amount of ink on the high density side exceeding the gradation value p1 is set to be smaller than the amount of ink determined by the function F1). Set the color conversion LUT. In the color conversion process, the image data is divided into image areas corresponding to the ranges A, B, and C, and each pixel in each image area is determined based on the correspondence between the divided image area and the set color conversion LUT. Convert color.

  FIG. 7 illustrates a state in which the image data IM to be printed is divided into a plurality of image areas AA, BA, CA based on the information 30a. According to FIG. 7, the image data IM corresponds to the range A (printed in an area passing through the range A of the heater 31 in the print medium M) and the image area AA and the range B (heater in the print medium M). 31 is divided into an image area BA (printed in an area passing through the range B of 31) and an image area CA corresponding to the range C (printed in an area passing through the range C of the heater 31 in the print medium M). . In the color conversion process, the color conversion LUT set for the image area CA is used for each pixel of the image area CA, and the color conversion LUT set for the image areas AA and BA is used for each pixel of the image areas AA and BA. Is used. According to such an embodiment, not only the temperature of the heater 31 but also the temperature unevenness in the heater 31 can be taken into consideration so that the degree of reduction in the amount of ink actually ejected can be changed. Can be accurately dried and cured.

Modification 2:
Needless to say, the type and number of inks used by the printer 20 for printing are not limited to those described above. In addition to color inks such as CMYKLcLm, white ink (white ink) or metallic ink may be used. For example, the printer 20 prints a color ink layer of color ink on the base layer after printing the base layer of white ink on a print medium. The printer 20 prints a color ink layer of color ink on the base layer after printing the base layer of metallic ink on the print medium. When printing such a color ink layer and a layer made of an ink different from the color ink on a print medium, the CPU 11 reduces the ink amount according to the temperature of the drying process described above during the printing control of the color ink layer. However, it is not performed at the time of printing control of the layer with an ink different from the color ink. In other words, in the above example, the amount of white ink or metallic ink is not reduced because the temperature of the drying process is lowered. This is because the effect on the image quality due to the use of white ink or metallic ink is not diminished.

Modification 3:
When the user lowers the temperature of the drying process by selecting a low-temperature mode or the like, the drying function by the heater 31 is lowered, but by extending the time for drying the print medium, such a functional drop can be compensated. it can. Therefore, the CPU 11 may vary the degree of ink amount reduction according to, for example, the drive pattern of the recording head 26. The difference in drive pattern here refers to, for example, the difference in the number of passes for printing a certain area of the print medium. The pass refers to ink ejection performed while the recording head 26 crosses the print medium once in the main scanning direction, and the fixed area is printed in one pass, or the fixed area is printed in a plurality of passes. It is possible to print. In general, when setting various printing conditions through the UI screen, the user sets a drive pattern with a small number of passes if priority is given to the printing speed, and if the priority is to achieve high-definition image quality, Set many drive patterns (long printing time).

  Therefore, for example, the CPU 11 directly or indirectly indicates a drive pattern currently set by the user or by default at a predetermined timing before and after the image data acquisition (step S100) (for example, “fast”, “high” Print mode (such as “fine”). Then, as the number of passes by the drive pattern indicated by the acquired information increases, the degree of ink amount reduction is weakened. As an example, if the number of passes is a certain number or more (for example, 6 passes or more), the color conversion LUT (low-temperature LUT 14b) to be originally set because the drying processing mode at that time is the low-temperature mode. The color conversion LUT (step S150) is set by generating a color conversion LUT that defines a larger amount of ink than the defined amount of ink (however, an amount of ink that is smaller than the amount of ink defined by the normal LUT 14a). . According to such a configuration, in a situation where the time for drying the ink that has landed on the print medium can be secured to some extent, the image is reproduced without reducing the amount of ink discharged to the print medium from the original ink amount as much as possible, and the color shift of the printed matter Can be suppressed.

Modification 4:
Further, the CPU 11 may vary the degree of reduction of the ink amount in accordance with the difference in the printing medium conveyance speed by the medium feeding mechanism 29. That is, if the conveyance speed is high, the time for drying the print medium becomes short, and if the conveyance speed is low, the time for drying the print medium can be secured long. Therefore, for example, the CPU 11 acquires information indicating directly or indirectly the conveyance speed currently set by the user or by default at a predetermined timing before and after the image data acquisition (step S100). Then, as the transport speed indicated by the acquired information is slower, the degree of ink amount reduction is weakened. As an example, if the transport speed is equal to or lower than a certain speed, the CPU 11 has a lower temperature mode than the ink amount specified by the color conversion LUT (low temperature LUT 14b) that should be originally set because the drying process mode is the low temperature mode. The color conversion LUT (step S150) is set by generating a color conversion LUT that defines a large ink amount (however, an ink amount that is smaller than the ink amount defined by the normal LUT 14a). According to such a configuration, in a situation where the time for drying the ink that has landed on the print medium can be secured to some extent, the image is reproduced without reducing the amount of ink discharged to the print medium from the original ink amount as much as possible, and the color shift of the printed matter Can be suppressed.

Other:
As described above, the printer 20 may function as the print control apparatus and the printing apparatus according to the present invention. In this case, the printer control IC 25 implements each process (the flowchart in FIG. 3 and the like) described so far by taking the configuration of the computer 10 as an example based on the firmware. That is, the printer control IC 25 may include a color conversion LUT (normal LUT 14a or the like), and may serve as a temperature information acquisition unit and a control unit according to the present invention. In this specification, “ink” is used in a broad sense including not only liquid ink used for ink jet printers and offset printing, but also toner used for laser printers. As other terms having such a broad meaning of “ink”, “coloring material”, “coloring material”, and “coloring agent” can also be used.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Print control apparatus, 10 ... Computer, 11 ... CPU, 14 ... HD, 14a ... Normal LUT, 14b ... Low temperature LUT, 14c ... High temperature LUT, 14d ... Printer driver, 20 ... Printer, 25 ... Printer control IC, 26 ... recording head, 27 ... head drive unit, 28 ... carriage mechanism, 29 ... medium feeding mechanism, 30 ... heater control IC, 31 ... heater, 31a ... first heater, 31b ... second heater, F1, F2 ... function, M ... print medium, IM ... image data

Claims (8)

A temperature information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a set temperature for a drying process on a print medium on which ink is printed;
When the acquired information indicates a temperature lower than a predetermined reference temperature, the acquired information indicates an ink amount corresponding to a density exceeding at least a predetermined density among the ink amounts used for the printing. A control unit that executes printing of the ink on the print medium by reducing the amount of ink used for printing corresponding to a density exceeding the predetermined density when the reference temperature is indicated. Print control device.   When the acquired information indicates a temperature higher than the reference temperature, the control unit indicates the amount of ink used for the printing, and when the acquired information indicates a temperature lower than the reference temperature. 2. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print control apparatus reduces the amount of ink used when the acquired information indicates the reference temperature in a different mode.   The control unit acquires a correspondence relationship between the temperature unevenness of the heater used for the drying process and the region on the print medium, and based on the correspondence relationship, for each region constituting the image to be printed on the print medium, The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the degree of reduction of the ink amount is varied.   When the control unit prints a plurality of ink layers including a layer printed using an ink different from the predetermined color ink and a layer printed using the color ink, The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink amount is reduced for the color ink.   5. The printing according to claim 1, wherein the control unit varies the degree of reduction of the ink amount according to a difference in a drive pattern of a recording head used for the printing. Control device.   The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit varies the degree of reduction of the ink amount according to a difference in a conveyance speed of the print medium. A temperature information acquisition step of acquiring information indicating a set temperature for the drying process on the print medium on which the ink is printed;
When the acquired information indicates a temperature lower than a predetermined reference temperature, the acquired information indicates an ink amount corresponding to a density exceeding at least a predetermined density among the ink amounts used for the printing. A control step of performing printing of the ink on the printing medium by reducing the amount of ink used for printing in correspondence with the density exceeding the predetermined density when the reference temperature is indicated. Print control method. A temperature information acquisition function for acquiring information indicating a set temperature for a drying process on a print medium on which ink is printed;
When the acquired information indicates a temperature lower than a predetermined reference temperature, the acquired information indicates an ink amount corresponding to a density exceeding at least a predetermined density among the ink amounts used for the printing. Causing the computer to execute a control function unit that executes printing of ink onto the print medium by reducing the amount of ink used for printing corresponding to a density exceeding the predetermined density when the reference temperature is indicated. A print control program characterized by that.

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