JP2016076774A - Image recording apparatus, image recording method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To select a gloss printing method corresponding to input gloss color data from among a plurality of gloss printing methods.SOLUTION: The image recording apparatus for giving a gloss tone to a surface of a printed matter includes: selection means for selecting at least one gloss printing method from among a plurality of gloss printing methods for each object to be processed on the basis of input gloss color data; and recording means for recording an image on the basis of the selected at least one gloss printing method.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus, an image recording method, and a program that selectively use a glossy printing method corresponding to input data from a plurality of types of glossy printing methods.

  In recent years, the trend toward higher quality and individuality in the field of commercial printing such as pamphlets, the field of publishing and printing such as magazines and photo albums, or the field of packaging and printing such as paper containers such as cosmetics has been increasing. As a technique for realizing a high-grade and individualization tendency, a technique for imparting a surface gloss appearance of a metal or a pearl (referred to herein as “surface gloss tone”) to a printed material is used.

  For example, there is known a recording medium creation technique that realizes expression of surface glossiness by applying a metal foil or the like to the surface of the recording medium (see Patent Document 1). However, in Patent Document 1, it is easy to impart a surface gloss tone to the entire printed matter, but there is a problem that the surface gloss tone cannot be generated only in an arbitrary region.

  On the other hand, a technique for generating a surface glossiness only in an arbitrary region of a printed material is known. For example, a glossy printing method that creates a printed matter with a surface glossy appearance by using a metallic or pearly special glossy colorant (metal ink) that contains a colorant containing metal powder in the colorant (this specification) Is called a “metal ink system”) (see Patent Document 2).

  Furthermore, as a technique for generating surface gloss without using a colorant containing metal powder, a technique using light reflection or interference is known. For example, a gloss printing method that creates a printed material having a surface glossy appearance by forming an ink film having a thickness comparable to the wavelength of light on the surface of the printed material (referred to herein as a “thin film interference method”) Is known (see Patent Document 3). In addition, a gloss printing method (in this specification, “bronze method”) is used to create a printed material with a surface glossy appearance by overlaying an ink layer with a high wavelength absorption on an ink layer having a high light absorption coefficient. Is also considered).

  Hereinafter, conventional methods for generating a surface gloss tone only in an arbitrary region of a printed material, specifically, a metal ink method, a thin film interference method, and a bronze method, using cross-sectional schematic diagrams of printed materials created by the respective methods. Briefly described.

  First, the metal ink method will be described. FIG. 1A shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a printed matter created by a metal ink method. A printed matter created by the metal ink method is realized by recording an image 104 a using a colorant containing metal powder on the recording medium 103. Since the recorded image 104a contains metal powder, the amount of reflected light that is irradiated from the observation light source 101 and observed by the observer 102 is larger than in other gloss printing methods, and a high brightness surface gloss tone is realized. It becomes possible. Further, it is possible to adjust the density of the surface glossiness according to the ratio of covering the surface of the recording medium 103 (surface coverage). On the other hand, in order to control the color of the surface glossy tone, it is necessary to control the metal powder to be mixed, and to realize various colors, it is necessary to increase the number of ink types.

  Next, the thin film interference method will be described. FIG. 1B shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a printed material created by the thin film interference method. The printed matter created by the thin film interference method is realized by forming an ink film 104b having a thickness on the recording medium 103 that is approximately the same as the wavelength of light. Note that it is desirable to form the ink film 104b using a transparent ink having a low density. The light reflected by the surface of the ink film 104b having a thickness comparable to the wavelength of light and the light transmitted through the ink film 104b and reflected from the recording medium 103 interfere with each other and are observed by the observer 102. Therefore, it is possible to control the surface gloss tone by controlling the thickness of the ink film 104b. On the other hand, in order to bring the surface glossy color closer to a desired color, it is necessary to reduce the variation in the thickness of the ink film.

  Finally, the bronze method will be described. FIG. 1C shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a printed material created by the bronze method. The printed matter created by the bronze method is a first ink layer 104c formed of the first ink having a high light absorption coefficient on the recording medium 103, and wavelength dispersion of the refractive index on the first ink layer. This is realized by overlapping the second ink layer 105c formed of the second ink having high properties. By using the first ink layer 104c as a base, light diffusing inside the second ink layer 105c is reduced, and most of the light reaching the observer 102 is reflected by the surface of the second ink layer 105c. Make it light. As a result, it is possible to realize a surface glossy tone having higher saturation than the thin film interference method. Further, it is possible to adjust the density of the surface glossiness according to the ratio of covering the surface of the recording medium 103 (surface coverage). On the other hand, as in the case of the metal ink method, it is necessary to control the pigment to be mixed in order to control the color of the surface glossy tone, and it is necessary to increase the number of inks when realizing various colors.

JP 2005-336660 A JP 2012-183708 A JP 2009-184324 A

  FIG. 2 shows the difference in surface gloss tone between the three gloss printing methods described above. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the position of the surface glossy tone that can be expressed for each gloss printing method on the a * b * plane.

  FIG. 2 shows a case where a colorant containing a golden metal powder is used as an example of the metal ink system. The plot point Met1_128 in FIG. 2 represents the case where the surface coverage is 50%, and the plot point Met1_255 represents the case where the surface coverage is 100%.

  FIG. 2 also shows a case where the thickness of the ink film 104b is changed as an example of the thin film interference method. From the plot point CL_16 to the plot point CL_255 in FIG. 2, the ink film is thicker as the numerical value at the end of the code increases. More specifically, the plot point CL_16 has a thickness of 20 nm and the plot point CL_255 has a thickness of 300 nm. Note that the relationship between the thickness of the ink film and the color varies depending on the material of the ink forming the ink film, and is not limited to the above example.

  Furthermore, FIG. 2 also shows a case where two different kinds of colorants are used as an example of the bronze system. Plot points Br1_128 and Br1_255 represent the case where the first ink is an ink having a refractive index similar to the bronze wavelength distribution. More specifically, the plot point Br1_128 represents a case where the surface coverage is 50%, and the plot point Br1_255 represents a case where the surface coverage is 100%. Similarly, plot points Br2_128 and Br2_255 represent a case where the second ink is an ink having a refractive index similar to the copper wavelength distribution. Plot point Br2_128 represents a case where the surface coverage is 50%, and plot point Br2_255 represents a case where the surface coverage is 100%.

  As described above, as shown in FIG. 2, in the thin film interference method, it is possible to express the hue of a plurality of hues by controlling the thickness of the ink film 104b with one type of ink. It is known that the saturation of colors that can be expressed is low.

  As described above, since the surface glossy tone that can be expressed by each gloss printing method is different, it is necessary to select an appropriate gloss printing method according to the color that the user wants to express. In addition, when the same color can be expressed with multiple glossy printing methods, an appropriate glossy printing method is considered in consideration of ink consumption, differences in resolution that can be recorded, and continuity for each object and hue included in the input data. It was difficult to choose.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. An object of the present invention is to select a gloss printing method corresponding to input gloss color data from a plurality of gloss printing methods.

  The present invention is an image recording apparatus that gives a glossy tone to the surface of a printed material, and selects at least one glossy printing method from a plurality of glossy printing methods for each processing object based on input glossy color data And a recording unit for recording an image based on the selected at least one glossy printing method.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily select a gloss printing method corresponding to input gloss color data.

It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the printed matter in which the surface glossiness is generated by the gloss printing method. It is a figure which shows the difference in the color tone of the surface glossy tone that can be expressed by the gloss printing method. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image recording apparatus according to Embodiments 1 to 3. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating glossy color data input to a data input unit according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of processing executed by a glossy printing method selection unit according to the first embodiment. 6 is an LUT representing the correspondence between glossy color data and printing conditions according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a recording head and a recording pattern (mask pattern) in a multi-pass recording method. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a recording pattern (mask pattern) when controlling glossy expression in a multi-pass recording method. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of processing executed by a glossy printing method selection unit according to the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows UI shown to a user when inputting priority information. It is explanatory drawing in the case of carrying out color mixing of the color by a several glossy printing system. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of processing executed by a glossy printing method selection unit according to a third embodiment. This is an LUT representing the correspondence between glossy color data and printing conditions. It is a flowchart of the process which the glossy printing system selection part performs based on one Example of this invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the data containing both glossy color data and diffusion color data input into a data input part.

[Example 1]
The first embodiment shows an example in which a gloss printing method corresponding to input gloss color data is selected in accordance with a predetermined priority order.

  In this specification, ink which is a recording material of an image recording apparatus is expressed in English notation such as Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Clear or Katakana notation such as cyan, magenta, yellow, black, clear. In addition, a color or its data or hue is abbreviated using capital letters such as C, M, Y, K, CL. That is, C is cyan or its data or hue, M is magenta or its data or hue, Y is yellow or its data or hue, K is black or its data or hue, and CL is transparent or The data or hue is represented respectively.

  Hereinafter, as an image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, two thin film interference methods and a bronze method are used as gloss printing methods for holding inks of five colors C, M, Y, K, and CL and controlling the gloss tone. An image recording apparatus capable of using the above will be described as an example. However, the ink held by the image recording apparatus is not limited to the above five colors. Light cyan or light magenta with a lightened C or M density may be used, or metal ink having a gold or silver color containing metal as disclosed in Patent Document 2 may be used. Further, the gloss printing method that can be used by the image recording apparatus is not limited to the above two.

<Configuration of image recording apparatus>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the image recording apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment. The image recording apparatus 300 includes a data input unit 301, a gloss printing method selection unit 302, a recording unit 303, and a lookup table (abbreviated as “LUT” in this specification) referred to by the gloss printing method selection unit 302. It comprises storage units 304 and 305 to be stored. The storage unit 304 stores a thin film interference method LUT used when the thin film interference method is selected as the gloss printing method, and the storage unit 305 stores the bronze method LUT used when the bronze method is selected as the gloss printing method. Is stored. In FIG. 3, the thin film interference LUT and the bronze LUT are stored in different storage units, but may be stored in the same storage unit.

  The data input unit 301 receives glossy color data as input data and transfers it to the glossy printing method selection unit 302. Next, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 sequentially refers to the LUTs stored in the storage units 304 and 305 that hold the gloss printing method corresponding to the transferred gloss color data in advance, so that a predetermined priority is determined. A gloss printing method is selected based on the ranking information. Finally, the recording unit 303 generates print data based on the printing conditions and records an image on the recording medium. Hereinafter, processing of each component of the image recording apparatus 300 will be described in detail.

<Description of data input section>
The data input unit 301 accepts input of glossy color data for designating a glossy hue to be expressed for each area on the recording medium. The gloss color data is data that specifies the color of gloss observed when illumination is reflected on a printed material. For each pixel, the color tone desired to be expressed in the surface gloss tone is designated using the value of a * b * in the L * a * b * color space. FIG. 4 shows an example of a combination of a pattern to be recorded and glossy color data. FIG. 4B shows the gloss color data when the glossy color tone of the region shown in black in the pattern shown in FIG. 4A is a * = 10 and b * = 20. More preferably, it is desirable to attach resolution information, object information, and hue information of glossy color data. The input gloss color data is sent to the gloss printing method selection unit 302.

<Description of Glossy Printing Method Selection Unit>
The gloss printing method selection unit 302 to which the gloss color data has been sent sequentially refers to the LUTs stored in the storage units 304 and 305 based on predetermined priority information, and corresponds to the input gloss color data. Select the printing method.

  In the present embodiment, as an example of priority information, priority information indicating that the thin film interference method is prioritized over the bronze method will be described as an example. This priority order information is predetermined information unique to the image recording apparatus 300. In this embodiment, the gloss printing method is selected for each pixel according to the priority order. Note that the priority information is not limited to the above example. In this example, the thin film interference method is given priority over the bronze method because there are many hues that can be expressed.However, when it is desired to express a high-saturation color tone, the bronze method is preferred to the thin film interference method. You may give priority. In this embodiment, an example in which a glossy printing method is selected for each pixel is shown. However, it is not always necessary to select a glossy printing method for each pixel. For example, a gloss printing method may be selected for each object or hue included in the input gloss color data in order not to generate gradation skip or pseudo contour.

  FIG. 5 shows a detailed flowchart of processing executed by the gloss printing method selection unit 302. The gloss printing method selection unit 302 performs processing for each pixel of the input gloss color data, and repeatedly performs processing until the gloss printing method is selected for all pixels.

  In step S501 (hereinafter, “step S501” is abbreviated as “S501”, and other steps are also abbreviated in the same manner), the gloss printing method selection unit 302 refers to the thin film interference method LUT and refers to the gloss color of the pixel of interest. It is determined whether there is a print condition corresponding to the data. The reason why the gloss printing method selection unit 302 refers to the thin film interference method LUT before the bronze method LUT is because the thin film interference method has priority over the bronze method in this embodiment as described above. If the result of determination in S501 is that the printing condition corresponding to the glossy color data of the pixel of interest exists in the thin film interference method LUT, it can be expressed by the thin film interference method, and the process proceeds to S502. On the other hand, when the printing condition corresponding to the glossy color data of the pixel of interest does not exist in the thin film interference method LUT, it cannot be expressed by the thin film interference method, and the process proceeds to S503. An example of the thin film interference type LUT is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6A, as the printing conditions for realizing the color corresponding to the value of a * b * of the input gloss color data by the thin film interference method, the amount of ink to be deposited and the ink deposited on the surface The type and the amount of driving are described. In FIG. 6A, the LUT that prints the K ink on the base is illustrated as an example in which the glossy color tone can be more suitably observed in the thin film interference method, but is not limited to the above example. For example, the background may be expressed in an arbitrary color according to diffused light color data input separately.

  In S502, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 selects the thin film interference method as the gloss printing method corresponding to the gloss color data, and determines the printing condition acquired by referring to the thin film interference method LUT as the printing condition of the pixel of interest. To do.

  In step S <b> 503, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 refers to the bronze method LUT and determines whether there is a printing condition corresponding to the gloss color data of the pixel of interest. As a result of the determination, if the printing condition corresponding to the gloss color data of the pixel of interest exists in the bronze method LUT, it can be expressed by the bronze method, and the process proceeds to S504. On the other hand, if the printing condition corresponding to the glossy color data of the pixel of interest does not exist in the bronze method LUT, it cannot be expressed by the bronze method, and the process proceeds to S505. An example of a bronze LUT is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6 (b), as in the thin film interference method LUT, the amount of ink applied as a printing condition for realizing the color corresponding to the value of a * b * of the input gloss color data by the bronze method And the type and amount of ink deposited on the surface. Although FIG. 6B illustrates an LUT that prints K ink on the base as an example in which the glossy color tone can be more suitably observed in the bronze method, it is not limited to the above example. Any ink that absorbs light transmitted through the ink deposited on the surface can be printed on the ground. For example, an ink having a complementary color relationship with the ink deposited on the surface may be used for the ground.

  In step S504, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 selects the bronze method as the gloss printing method corresponding to the gloss color data, and determines the printing condition acquired by referring to the bronze method LUT as the printing condition of the target pixel.

In step S <b> 505, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 determines that the color corresponding to the input gloss color data cannot be expressed by the thin film interference method or the bronze method that can be used by the image recording apparatus 300. . In this case, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 selects a gloss printing method capable of expressing a color closest to the color of the input gloss color data. An example of processing (mapping processing) for selecting a gloss printing method that expresses the color closest to the color of the input gloss color data is shown below. The a * b * of the input gloss color data _a * in, and _{b * in,} and the a * b * listed in the LUT for each gloss print method _a * _LUT, and _{b * LUT,} the following formula ( Based on 1), the color difference ΔE is calculated for each printing condition.

As an example, a case where a * b * of input gloss color data is a * _in = 25 and b * _in = 21 will be described. In this case, the color difference _{ΔE_figure6_1} between the glossy color data and the printing condition in the first column in FIG. _6A is _{ΔE_figure6_1} = ((25-15) ² + (21-12) ² ) ^1/2 = 13.45 Become. In this way, the color difference ΔE is calculated for each printing condition, and the printing condition that minimizes the color difference ΔE among the printing conditions is determined as the printing condition for the pixel of interest. In this embodiment, an example of selecting a printing condition that minimizes the color difference when there is no printing condition corresponding to the input glossy color data among the printing conditions described in the LUT for each glossy printing method. However, the present invention is not limited to the above example. For example, a printing condition that minimizes the hue difference may be selected instead of the color difference.

  When the gloss printing method selection unit 302 executes the processing described above, the gloss printing method is selected for each pixel of the input gloss color data, and the printing conditions are determined.

<Description of recording unit>
Next, processing executed by the recording unit 303 will be described. The recording unit 303 generates print data based on the printing condition for each pixel determined by the glossy printing method selection unit 302. Next, the recording unit 303 records an image with a glossy tone on a recording medium based on the generated print data.

  In this embodiment, as an image recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium, a multi-pass recording type ink jet printer will be described as an example. The print data in this embodiment is data that determines at which position each ink is ejected based on the printing condition of each selected pixel. However, the format of the print data is not limited to this. The data format of the print data may be changed according to the recording method of the image recording apparatus. For example, in the case of an electrophotographic image recording apparatus, the print data may be an exposure laser on / off signal. The print data may include not only the characteristics of the data to be recorded but also information on a recording medium that can be acquired from separately input data, print quality information, control information such as a paper feed method, and the like. FIG. 7 shows a simple example of print data for recording an image by the multipass recording method. In FIG. 7, in order to explain the multi-pass printing method, a print head and a print pattern are schematically shown. A recording head of an ink jet printer generally has several hundred nozzles, but for the sake of simplicity, the recording head 701 is assumed to have 16 nozzles. As shown in FIG. 7, the 16 nozzles are divided into first to fourth nozzle groups, and each nozzle group includes four nozzles. A mask pattern 702 in FIG. 7 indicates the area where each nozzle performs recording in black. The patterns recorded by each nozzle group are in an interpolating relationship. When the patterns recorded by each nozzle group are overlapped, recording of an area corresponding to an area of 4 pixels × 4 pixels is completed. Patterns 703 to 706 show how an image is completed by overlapping recording scans. At the end of each recording scan, the recording medium is conveyed by the width of the nozzle group (that is, by four pixels) in the direction of the arrow 707 in the figure. Therefore, the same area of the recording medium (area corresponding to the width of each nozzle group) is configured such that an image is completed only after four recording scans. As described above, the fact that each same area of the recording medium is recorded by a plurality of nozzle groups in a plurality of scans has the effect of reducing variations peculiar to the nozzles and variations in the conveyance accuracy of the recording medium.

  Next, an example of generating print data from print conditions is shown. First, the recording unit 303 removes the ink set as the outermost surface ink layer from among the inks selected by the printing conditions, and the ink set as the outermost surface ink layer from the ink set as the outermost surface ink layer. Ink. Next, the recording unit 303 separates the base ink and the outermost ink for each color, and generates print data for each color. For example, in the case of the ink jet printer according to this embodiment in which five colors of inks of C, M, Y, K, and CL are mounted, five print data corresponding to the five colors of ink are generated. Next, the recording unit 303 performs halftone processing on the data obtained by separating the base ink and the outermost ink for each color. The halftone process in the present embodiment is a process for converting multi-valued input image data into a binary image (or an image having two or more values and a smaller number of gradations than the number of input gradations). A known error diffusion method is used. However, the halftone processing in this embodiment is not limited to the error diffusion method, and binarization may be performed by threshold processing using a dither matrix, for example. Next, the recording unit 303 generates print data using the data after the halftone process and the mask pattern. An example of a mask pattern converted into print data is shown in FIG. When generating the print data, the recording unit 303 divides the mask pattern into two types, that is, a base ink mask pattern that is recorded in the first four passes and a top surface ink mask pattern that is recorded in the second eight passes. As a result, it is possible to form a desired ink layer structure on the recording medium by controlling the recording scanning order of the underlying ink and the outermost ink using the print data. Based on the print data generated by the above processing, the recording unit 303 ejects ink dots on the recording medium and records an image.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the expression of glossy tone is controlled by a plurality of ink layer structures is shown, but the method of controlling the expression of glossy tone is not limited to the above example. For example, when the glossy tone expression is realized by the metal ink method, it is not necessary to use a plurality of ink layer structures, and a mask pattern as shown in FIG.

  According to the present embodiment, it becomes possible to easily select a gloss printing method corresponding to the input gloss color data in accordance with a predetermined priority order.

[Example 2]
In the first embodiment, an example is shown in which a glossy printing method is selected for each pixel based on predetermined priority order information. The second embodiment shows an example in which the priority of the gloss printing method is controlled based on the acquired priority information, and the gloss printing method is selected for each pixel based on the controlled priority.

<Configuration of image recording apparatus>
Also in this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the two colors of the thin film interference method and the bronze method are used as gloss printing methods for holding inks of five colors C, M, Y, K, and CL and controlling the gloss tone. A possible image recording apparatus will be described as an example.

  The image recording apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment includes a data input unit 301, a gloss printing method selection unit 302 including a priority order information acquisition unit (not shown) that acquires priority order information, and a recording unit 303. In addition, the image recording apparatus 300 includes a storage unit that stores the LUT (see FIG. 3). Since the data input unit 301, the recording unit 303, and the storage units 304 and 305 are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted. Hereinafter, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 according to the present embodiment, which is different from the first embodiment, will be described. The gloss printing method selection unit 302 that acquires the gloss color data by the transfer of the data input unit 301 also acquires priority information by the priority information acquisition unit. After the gloss printing method selection unit 302 has acquired the priority information, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 refers to the LUT in order from the LUT of the gloss printing method that is prioritized based on the acquired priority information, and inputs the gloss that has been input. A glossy printing method corresponding to the color data is selected and printing conditions are determined.

<Description of Glossy Printing Method Selection Unit>
Hereinafter, detailed processing steps of the gloss printing method selection unit 302 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of processing executed by the gloss printing method selection unit 302 according to the present embodiment.

  In step S <b> 901, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 (the priority order information acquisition unit included in the gloss printing method selection unit 302) acquires the priority order information input by the user. The priority order information is information indicating a processing target (specifically, a pixel, a hue, an object, etc.) for selecting a glossy printing method and a priority glossy printing method, as in the first embodiment. FIG. 10A shows an example of a user interface (UI) presented to the user when the priority order information is acquired. For example, by displaying a UI as shown in FIG. 10A on a control monitor (not shown) of the image recording apparatus 300, the image recording apparatus 300 prompts the user to input priority order information. When the glossy printing method selection unit 302 receives input of priority order information, the process advances to step S902 to select a glossy printing method for each processing target specified by the priority order information. FIG. 9A illustrates a case where the processing target is a pixel, as in the first embodiment.

  In step S902, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 refers to the thin film interference method LUT in the same manner as in step S501, and determines whether there is a printing condition corresponding to the gloss color data of the pixel of interest. As a result of the determination, if the printing condition corresponding to the gloss color data of the pixel of interest exists in the thin film interference method LUT, the process proceeds to S903, and if not, the process proceeds to S906.

  In step S903, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 acquires the printing condition corresponding to the gloss color data from the thin film interference LUT, and holds it as a printing condition candidate CLCase for the pixel of interest. After the holding, the process proceeds to S904.

  In step S904, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 refers to the bronze method LUT as in step S503, and determines whether there is a printing condition corresponding to the gloss color data of the pixel of interest. As a result of the determination, if the printing condition corresponding to the gloss color data of the target pixel exists in the bronze LUT, the process proceeds to S905, and if not, the process proceeds to S907.

  In step S <b> 905, the glossy printing method selection unit 302 acquires printing conditions corresponding to the glossy color data from the bronze method LUT and holds them as printing condition candidates BrCase for the pixel of interest. After holding, the process proceeds to S910.

<Description of Glossy Printing Method Selection Unit-When Input Data Can Be Expressed with Multiple Printing Conditions>
In step S910, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 selects an appropriate gloss printing method based on the priority information acquired in step S901 from among a plurality of printing condition candidates held for the target pixel. A detailed processing flow of S910 is shown in FIG. In step S9101b, the glossy printing method selection unit 302 determines the priority glossy printing method indicated by the priority order information. As a result of the determination, if the thin film interference method is prioritized over the bronze method as the gloss printing method, the process proceeds to S9102b, and if the bronze method is prioritized over the thin film interference system, the process proceeds to S9103b. When the process proceeds to S9102b, CLCase expressed by the thin film interference method is determined as a printing condition for the pixel of interest from among those held as printing condition candidates. When the process proceeds to S9103b, BrCase expressed by the bronze method is determined as a printing condition for the pixel of interest from among those held as printing condition candidates. As described above, when a plurality of printing conditions become candidates, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 preferentially selects the gloss printing method specified by the user in the priority order information.

  Since S907 is the same as S502, description thereof is omitted.

  In step S906, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 refers to the bronze method LUT in the same manner as in step S503, and determines whether a printing condition corresponding to the gloss color data of the pixel of interest exists. As a result of the determination, if the printing condition corresponding to the gloss color data of the target pixel exists in the bronze LUT, the process proceeds to S908, and if not, the process proceeds to S909. Since S908 is the same process as S504 and S909 is the same process as S505, the description thereof is omitted.

  By executing the processing described above by the glossy printing method selection unit 302, it is possible to easily select the printing condition corresponding to the input glossy color data based on the priority order information input by the user designation. Therefore, it is possible to record an image under conditions desired by the user.

<When specifying something other than glossy printing method for priority information>
Although the case where the processing target and the glossy printing method to be prioritized are designated by the priority order information has been described as an example (see FIG. 10A), what is designated by the priority order information is shown in this example. It is not limited. As priority information, it is sufficient to specify at least a gloss printing method to be prioritized. For example, the ink consumption may be specified as the priority order information. In this case, the gloss printing method with a small ink consumption can be selected by comparing the ink amount consumed for each gloss printing method. Hereinafter, a case where the ink consumption amount and the resolution are designated as the priority order information will be exemplified (see FIG. 10B). As described above, when the condition for selecting the glossy printing method is designated as the priority order information, the image recording apparatus 300 needs to hold information regarding the designated condition in advance. For example, when the ink consumption amount can be designated, it is necessary to hold the ink consumption amount information separately from the printing conditions in the LUT for each glossy printing method. The ink consumption is calculated from the total amount of ink to be consumed. Similarly, when the resolution can be specified, it is necessary to store information of resolution that can be recorded separately from the printing conditions in the LUT for each glossy printing method. The recordable resolution is obtained in advance by printing and measuring a chart having a different resolution for each gloss printing method, so that the resolution capable of recording the color to be expressed is acquired in advance. Note that the recordable resolution setting method is not limited to this, and the resolution that can be expressed may be calculated from the characteristics of the material contained in the colorant.

  FIG. 10B shows an example of a UI that designates either the ink consumption or the resolution, which is a condition for selecting the glossy printing method instead of the glossy printing method as the priority information. When the glossy printing method selection unit 302 receives input of priority order information, the process proceeds to S902 and subsequent steps in order to select a glossy printing method for each processing target specified by the priority order information. Regarding the subsequent processes after S902, the processes other than S910 are the same as those in the above example, and the description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, the detailed processing of S910 when the condition for selecting the glossy printing method is designated by the priority order information will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9C.

  In S9101c, the glossy printing method selection unit 302 determines what is the condition specified as the priority information. As a result of the determination, if the condition specified as priority information is ink consumption, the process proceeds to S9102c, and if the condition specified as priority information is resolution, the process proceeds to S9103c.

  In S91021 and S91031, the glossy printing method selection unit 302 compares the values of the conditions held separately from the printing conditions. Specifically, in S91021, the ink consumptions of the printing condition candidates of different formats are compared, and in S91031, the resolutions of the printing condition candidates of different formats are compared. As a result of the comparison in step S91021, the glossy printing method selection unit 302 selects a glossy printing method that consumes less ink, and determines a printing condition candidate for the selected glossy printing method as a printing condition for the pixel of interest. Similarly, as a result of the comparison in S91031, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 selects a gloss printing method that has a high recordable resolution, and sets the printing condition candidates of the selected gloss printing method as the printing conditions for the image of interest. Determine as.

  The gloss printing method selection unit 302 executes the processing described above, so that the conditions for selecting the gloss printing method are acquired from the priority information input by user designation and correspond to the input gloss color data. Printing conditions can be easily selected. Therefore, it is possible to record an image under conditions desired by the user.

  Note that the case of using the ink consumption and the resolution has been described as an example of the condition for selecting the gloss printing method, but the condition for selecting the gloss printing method is not limited to the above example. As conditions for selecting the gloss printing method, for example, expressible gloss intensity, gloss image clarity, color change for each observation angle, and the like may be used.

[Example 3]
<Joint color mixing>
In the first and second embodiments, when the color of the input gloss color data cannot be expressed by either the thin film interference method or the bronze method that can be used by the image recording apparatus, the conventional color gamut mapping method is used. In this example, the gloss printing method is selected so that the color difference ΔE is minimized. However, when the color corresponding to the input gloss color data cannot be expressed by either the thin film interference method or the bronze method that can be used by the image recording apparatus, the method for selecting the gloss printing method is as described above. It is not limited to an example. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the colors according to the printing conditions corresponding to the two plot points Br1_255 and CL_32 sandwiching the plot points of the input gloss color data may be expressed by juxtaposed color mixing. Processing executed by the gloss printing method selection unit 302 according to the present embodiment in the case where the colors of a plurality of gloss printing methods are juxtaposed and mixed will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. However, since S501 to S505 in FIG. 12 are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

In step S1201, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 determines whether the color of the input gloss color data can be expressed by the side-by-side color mixture of a plurality of gloss printing methods. Specifically, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 determines whether there is a gloss printing method corresponding to two plot points that sandwich the plot point (a * _in , b * _in ) of the input value on the a * b * plane. It is determined whether or not (see FIG. 11). As a result of the determination, if it exists, it can be expressed by juxtaposed color mixing, the printing conditions indicated by the two plot points are extracted, and the process proceeds to S1202. On the other hand, if it does not exist, it is determined that expression is impossible due to juxtaposed color mixing, and the process advances to step S505 to perform the same processing as in the first embodiment.

In S1202, the ratio based on the ratio of the distance on the a * b * plane between the plot point (a * _in , b * _in ) of the input value and the two printing conditions extracted in S1201 is calculated, Print conditions are determined based on the calculated ratio. More preferably, it is desirable to determine whether or not it is possible to perform color mixing in parallel at a ratio based on the ratio of distances on the a * b * plane in consideration of the resolution that can be recorded for each gloss printing method. . In the above description, an example in which juxtaposed color mixing is performed using two extracted printing conditions has been described. However, the printing condition to be extracted is not limited to the above example. For example, printing conditions of 3 points or 4 points may be extracted and mixed in parallel.

  In this embodiment, the example in which juxtaposed color mixing is performed when it cannot be expressed by either the thin film interference method or the bronze method has been described, but the example in which juxtaposed color mixing is performed is not limited to the above. For example, juxtaposed color mixing may be used in a boundary region where the gloss printing method is switched in order to reduce image quality problems caused by switching the gloss printing method in adjacent pixels.

<Parallel mixed color pattern>
In this embodiment, the case where the input glossy color cannot be expressed by the color according to one printing condition has been described as an example of the case where the colors according to a plurality of printing conditions are mixed in parallel. It is not limited to an example. For example, as in the case of the first embodiment, juxtaposed color mixing may be used to unify the gloss printing method for each object recorded in the gloss color data for the purpose of improving image quality.

[Other Examples]
<Glossy data pattern>
In the first to third embodiments, the gloss color data is described by taking the data specifying the value of a * b * in the L * a * b * color space as an example, but the gloss color data is not limited to the above example. . The gloss color data only needs to be able to specify the surface gloss tone, and hue and saturation may be used instead of the value of a * b *. Further, instead of numerical information, a material such as gold, silver, or copper may be used as the gloss color data. FIG. 13A shows an example of an LUT when hue and saturation are used as gloss color data, and FIG. 13B shows an example of an LUT when material is used as gloss color data.

<Types of glossy printing methods used by image recording devices>
In the first embodiment, it is described that the image recording apparatus can use the metal ink method, the thin film interference method, and the bronze method as the gloss printing method. However, the gloss printing methods that can be used are limited to these three types. Not. For example, as a gloss printing method, a method of forming periodic unevenness on a recording medium and interfering reflected light may be used.

<Example when the image recording apparatus can use three or more glossy printing methods>
In the first to third embodiments, an example in which the image recording apparatus can use two types of the thin film interference method and the bronze method as the gloss printing method has been shown. However, the usable gloss printing method pattern is not limited to the above example. . The image recording apparatus only needs to be able to use any two types of glossy printing methods. For example, the image recording device may be an image recording device that can use two types, a metal ink method and a thin film interference method. Also, the types of glossy printing methods that can be used are not limited to two, and may be three or more. For example, there may be a case where the image recording apparatus can use three kinds of glossy printing methods such as a thin film interference method, a bronze method, and a metal ink method. Flow of processing executed by the gloss printing method selection unit 302 when the image recording apparatus can use these three types of gloss printing methods and the priority order is high in the order of the thin film interference method, the bronze method, and the metal ink method. The figure is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 14, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 has a color corresponding to the gloss color data for each gloss printing method in a predetermined order (that is, in order of the thin film interference method, the bronze method, and the metal ink method). It is determined whether or not can be expressed.

  FIG. 10D shows an example of a UI presented to the user when there are three or more glossy printing methods that can be used by the image recording apparatus. The user can set a priority order for each type of glossy printing method via this UI. When the “decision” button is pressed in the state shown in FIG. 10D, priorities are set in the order of the thin film interference method, the bronze method, and the metal ink method. It is also possible to select one glossy printing method and switch the order. For example, when the “DOWN” button is pressed in the state shown in FIG. 10D, the priority order of the currently selected thin film interference method can be lowered. Based on the priority order finally set, the gloss printing method selection unit 302 selects a gloss printing method.

  As described above, it is possible to increase the colors that can be expressed by holding more types of glossy printing methods.

<LUT format>
In the first to third embodiments, an example in which the LUT is held for each glossy printing method and the LUT is referred to in accordance with the priority order is shown, but the LUT in the present invention is not limited to the above example. For example, instead of the LUT for each gloss printing method, a single LUT indicating a gloss printing method corresponding to the color of the gloss color data, which is obtained by combining a plurality of gloss printing LUTs, may be used.

<Preference information pattern>
In the first to third embodiments, examples of specifying the type of glossy printing method and conditions for selecting the glossy printing method are shown as the priority information (FIGS. 10A and 10 (A) and 10 (B). b)), what is designated by the priority information is not limited to the above example. For example, priority level information may specify whether to give priority to the quality of the finished surface glossy tone or to give priority to costs such as ink consumption and printing time. FIG. 10C shows an example of a user interface that allows the user to specify which of the quality and the cost is prioritized. For samples output in multiple gloss printing methods, check if the recordable resolution, gloss strength, gloss image clarity, color change for each observation angle, etc. are large. By using the above conditions, it is determined whether or not the printing quality is high for each printing condition. The level of cost is determined for each printing condition by using one or more conditions of ink consumption, printing time, and the like.

<Example when diffuse color data is input in addition to glossy color data>
In the first to third embodiments, the case where the data acquired by the data input unit 301 is only gloss color data has been described as an example. However, the data acquired by the data input unit 301 is not limited to the above example. For example, in the input data, the gloss color and the diffused light observed when the illumination is not reflected may be specified for each area of the printed matter (that is, the input data is the gloss color data and the diffused light). It may consist of optical data). FIG. 15 shows a configuration example of the image recording apparatus 300 that acquires both glossy color data and diffusion color data. The image recording apparatus 300 receives both glossy color data and diffusion color data by the data input unit 301. Data input to the data input unit 301 includes determination data indicating either glossy color data or diffused color data and color data for each pixel. FIG. 16 shows an example of data including both glossy color data and diffusion color data. In the picture shown in FIG. 16 (a), the blacked out area is an area of glossy color a * = 10 and b * = 20, and the area shown in gray is a diffused color a * ==. The region is −10 and b * = − 20. FIG. 16B shows input data for depicting the picture shown in FIG. In FIG. 16B, the data for each pixel is recorded in the order of determination data indicating whether the color is glossy or diffused and the color. When the determination data is 0, it indicates a glossy color, and when the determination data is 1, it indicates a diffuse color.

  The data input unit 301 that has received the input data decomposes the input data into glossy color data and diffused color data based on the determination data included in the input data. After the separation, the data input unit 301 transmits glossy color data to the glossy printing method selection unit 302 and transmits diffusion color data to the diffusion color processing unit 1501. The processing executed by the gloss printing method selection unit 302 to which gloss color data has been input is the same as in the first and second embodiments, and a description thereof will be omitted. The diffusion color processing unit 1501 to which the diffusion color data has been input converts the diffusion color data into an ink placement amount that is a printing condition of the diffusion color, using a color separation LUT for diffusion color data that is held in advance. The recording unit 303 generates print data based on the glossy color printing conditions input from the glossy printing method selection unit 302 and the diffusion color printing conditions input from the diffusion color processing unit 1501, and generates the generated print data. Based on this, an image is recorded on the recording medium.

  By executing the above processing, it is possible to express the respective colors for each area of the printed matter according to the input diffusion color data and gloss color data.

  The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

301: Data input unit 302 ... Glossy printing method selection unit 303 ... Recording unit

Claims (10)

An image recording apparatus for imparting gloss to the surface of a printed material,
Selection means for selecting at least one glossy printing method from a plurality of glossy printing methods for each processing object based on the input glossy color data;
An image recording apparatus comprising: recording means for recording an image based on the selected at least one glossy printing method.   The selection unit selects the at least one glossy printing method by referring to a lookup table for each of the plurality of glossy printing methods according to an order indicated by predetermined priority information unique to the image recording apparatus. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1. It further comprises an acquisition means for acquiring priority information input by the user,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects the at least one glossy printing method based on the acquired priority order information.   4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a priority gloss printing method or a condition for specifying a priority gloss printing method is specified by the priority order information.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the condition includes at least one of ink consumption, recordable resolution, gloss intensity, gloss image clarity, and color change for each observation angle.   6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processing target is designated by the priority information.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing target is any one of a pixel, a hue, and an object. The selection means selects two or more glossy printing methods from the plurality of glossy printing methods,
The image according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the recording unit generates print data for juxtaposing the colors of the two or more selected glossy printing methods on a recording medium. Recording device. An image recording method for imparting gloss to the surface of a printed material,
Selecting at least one gloss printing method from a plurality of gloss printing methods for each processing object based on the input gloss color data;
And a step of recording an image based on the selected at least one glossy printing method.   A program for causing a computer to execute the method according to claim 9.