JP2641772B2 - Photo synthesis printing method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a photograph for synthesizing and printing a main image recorded on a photographic film and an illustration image such as characters, pictures, computer graphics (CG), etc. The present invention relates to a synthetic baking method.

[Conventional technology]

Recently, as postcards and greeting cards,
2. Description of the Related Art A synthetic print photograph in which an image of a person or the like is printed on color photographic paper (color paper) as a main image and an illustration image such as a greeting is printed next to the image is widely used.

In order to create the composite print photograph, a photographic composite printing apparatus in which, for example, an illustration image exposure stage and a main image exposure stage are arranged side by side on a belt-shaped color paper transfer path is used. Then, after printing exposure in the first exposure stage, a fixed amount of color paper is sent, and the unexposed part of the frame that has been printed and exposed is set on the next exposure stage,
Print exposure is performed to obtain a composite print.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, in the above-described photographic printing apparatus, when printing the next order, for example, the timing of exchanging an illustration image and a main image is shifted in order to reduce paper loss. That is, at the time of order switching, for example, only the illustration image in the first stage is replaced with a new one, and in this state, the illustration image of the new order is exchanged in the first stage, and the illustration image of the previous order is exchanged in the second stage. Each of the main images is printed and exposed.
Thereafter, printing and exposure are performed in the same manner until the frame on which the illustration image of the previous order has been exposed comes to the second stage. When the last frame on which the illustration image of the previous order has been exposed comes to the second stage, after the printing exposure, the main image of the previous order is replaced with that of a new order. Hereinafter, printing exposure of the illustration image and the main image is performed at each stage. In this way, the next order frame can be printed continuously with the previous order frame without providing useless space on the paper.

In addition to staggering the timing of exchanging the original image between the illustration image and the main image in this way, usually, the illustration image and the main image are sequentially printed and exposed on each stage, and the printing exposure of the illustrated image is reduced to the number of orders. When the print exposure of the illustration image is completed, only the print exposure of the main image is performed, and after the print exposure of the main image of the order number is completed, the unexposed portion next to the last frame of this order is the first exposure. Return the paper so that it can be set on the stage. After exchanging the original image for the new order, the illustration image of the new order is printed and exposed from this position. Then, the exposure of the illustration images for the number of frames between the respective exposure stages is completed, and when the unexposed portion of the frame obtained by printing and exposing the illustration image of the new order is set on the second stage, the main image of the new order is set. Starts printing exposure.

However, as described above, when the order is switched by changing the exchange timing of the original image between the illustration image and the main image, there is a problem that an operation error easily occurs. In addition, when returning the color paper, a mechanism for rotating the paper transport system in the normal and reverse directions and a rewinding mechanism are required, and there is a problem that the configuration of the apparatus becomes complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and has as its object to provide a photographic synthesis printing method which can simplify a paper transport system and can easily perform an operation at the time of order switching.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention arranges a first and a second exposure stage in order along a transfer path of a belt-shaped photosensitive material, and prints an illustration image on one of the exposure stages by printing, On the other hand, in a photo-synthesis printing method in which a main image is printed and exposed and an illustration image and a main image are image-synthesized and a print photograph is created for each order, the method comprises the steps of: The length of the photosensitive material is set to be 1.5 times the length of one frame of the printed photo, and after printing the illustration image and the main image at each exposure stage, the photosensitive material is exposed for one frame length L. By sending it, a composite image composed of the illustration image and the main image is created, and when switching from the current order to the next order, when printing and exposing the last print photo of the current order, The printing exposure is performed only on the second exposure stage without performing the printing exposure on the exposure stage, and thereafter, the original images of the first and second exposure stages are changed from the current order to the next order, and Then, printing exposure is performed only on the first exposure stage, and thereafter, the photosensitive material is fed by one frame, and thereafter, the illustration image and the main image are printed and exposed on each exposure stage.

[Action]

For example, an illustration image is printed and exposed on the first exposure stage, and a main image is printed and exposed on the second exposure stage. After the printing exposure, the color paper is advanced by one frame, a new unexposed color paper is set on the first exposure stage, and the second
The unexposed portion adjacent to the area exposed by printing in the first exposure stage is set on the exposure stage. Hereinafter, in each exposure stage, the illustration image and the main image are simultaneously printed and exposed, and thereafter the color paper is fed one frame at a time, so that the illustration image and the main image are combined.

At the time of order switching, the two images of each of the last frame of the current order and the first frame of the next order are separately exposed at respective tages instead of simultaneous exposure in the first and second stages. For this reason, two original pictures can be exchanged for a new order at the same time, and occurrence of an operation error is prevented.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the photographic printing apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the color paper 10 is wound into a roll and stored in a magazine 11. This color paper 10 has guide rollers 13
And transported one frame at a time by the pair of transport rollers 14 and 15,
It is set on an exposure stage (first stage) 17 for the illustration image and an exposure stage (second stage) 18 for the main image. Each of the transport roller pairs 14 and 15 is synchronously rotated by a pulse motor 20 driven via a driver 19.

The distance between the exposure stages 17 and 18 is set to 1.5 times the length L of the print frame. And each exposure stage 17,
18 has a platen to hold the color paper 10 flat
21 and an easel mask 22 are provided.

Each of the exposure stages 17 and 18 has an illustration image printing exposure unit 2
5. A main image printing exposure unit 26 is provided.

The illustration image printing exposure unit 25 is configured as follows. The white light from the light source 30 is sufficiently diffused in the diffusion box 31 and then uniformly illuminates the lithographic film for illustration 33 on the film carrier 32. The diffusion box 31 is formed by attaching diffusion plates to both ends of a rectangular tube whose inner surface is a mirror surface.
Illustrative images such as characters and pictures recorded on the lith film 33 are formed on the color paper 10 of the first stage 17 by the printing lens 35. Printed lens 35 and color paper 10
A shutter 36 for controlling the exposure time so as to obtain a predetermined exposure amount is provided between the shutter 36 and the shutter. The shutter 36 is driven by a shutter drive unit 37. The illustration image may be printed by exposing the squirrel film to color paper in close contact with it, and in this case, the lens 35 and the shutter 36 can be omitted.

The illustration image squirrel film 33 can be easily created by photographing an original with a lithographic negative and then developing the photograph. In this lith film, when a document written in black on a white background is photographed, white characters in which character portions are transparent are recorded. When a document is photographed in which the character portion is white and the surroundings are black, a lith film in which the portions other than the character are transparent can be obtained. When recording colored characters on color paper, it is only necessary to use a lithographic film in which the characters are transparent and adjust the ratio of the three-color exposure amount. Note that a transparent or opaque plastic sheet or the like may be used instead of the lith film, and characters may be printed or punched on this. Also, in addition to characters, pictures, CG, and the like can be recorded on the lith film.

The main image printing exposure unit 26 is configured as follows.
White light emitted from the light source 40 passes through the cyan filter 41, the magenta filter 42, and the yellow filter 43, and then enters the diffusion box 44. Each color filter 41 to 43 is a filter adjustment unit
The amount of insertion into the printing optical path 46 is adjusted by 45 to adjust the light quality of the printing light.

The printing light diffused by the diffusion box 44 illuminates the negative film 48 set on the film carrier 47. The film carrier 47 includes a carrier base 50 and a film holder 51 that cooperates with the carrier base 50 to hold the negative film 48. The film retainer 51 is pressed against the negative film 48 at the time of main image printing exposure by a spring material or the like so as to secure its flatness, and is released when the negative film 48 is moved. ing.

A printing lens 52 for forming a main image on the color paper 10 is provided between the negative film 48 and the color paper 10.
Is arranged. Above the printing lens 52, a shutter
The shutter drive unit 55 controls the exposure to a predetermined exposure amount.

A light receiver 56 is disposed diagonally above the film carrier 47. The light receiver 56 includes a lens and a light receiving sensor, and measures the average transmitted light of the main image. The photometric value is converted to a density value by the logarithmic conversion unit 57 and then sent to the controller 60.

The controller 60 calculates the exposure amount using a well-known arithmetic expression using the average transmission density value _{Di and the} like output from the logarithmic conversion unit 57, and controls the filter adjustment unit 45 based on the calculated exposure amount. The controller 60 is composed of a known microcomputer, and controls each unit based on various data stored in the RAM and detection signals from various sensors by a program stored in a built-in ROM. Also, the controller 60
Is connected to a keyboard 61. The keyboard 61 is provided with a print key operated when starting printing, numeric keys for designating the number of prints, and other control keys.

 Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

First, the lith film 33 and the negative film 48 are set on the respective film carriers 32 and 47. Thereafter, the user operates the numeric keys of the keyboard 61 to input the number of prints. Thereafter, when the print key 61 of the keyboard is operated, the controller 60 simultaneously prints and exposes the illustration image and the main image on each of the stages 17 and 18, and thereafter transports the color paper 10 by one frame. Therefore, the main image is printed and exposed on the color paper 10 adjacent to the portion where the illustration image has been exposed, so that the illustration image and the main image are combined and printed. The controller 60 counts the number of printing exposures of the illustration image by a built-in counter. When the number of printing exposures reaches the number of order printings, the controller 60 controls the original image exchange.

This control procedure is shown in FIG. FIG. 1I shows a printing exposure state of the color paper 10 in a state in which printing exposure for the number of illustration images, for example, 50 frames has been completed. In this state, the controller 60 switches to the order switching control mode based on the built-in count value. Then, first, as shown in (II), the color paper 10 is advanced by frames. Next, as shown in (III),
Only the main image printing exposure section 26 is operated, and printing exposure of the main image P1 is performed in the second stage. Thus, the main image P1 is printed and exposed on the 50th frame, which is the last frame of the order. In this state, the controller 60 issues an original image exchange alarm,
Notify the operator that it is time to replace the original.

When the original image is exchanged for a new one and the print key is operated after designating the number of print exposures of this order, as shown in (IV), only the illustration image print exposure unit 25 is operated, and the previous image print exposure unit 25 is operated. The illustration image I2 is printed and exposed on the first frame (first frame) of the next order so as to be continuous with the last frame of the order. After this,
As shown in (V), the color paper 10 is advanced by frames. Next, as shown in (VI), each printing exposure unit operates, and the illustration image I2 for the second frame on the first stage is displayed.
In the second stage, the main image P2 is printed and exposed for the first frame. Thereafter, as shown in (VII), the color paper 10 is fed frame by frame, and by repeating the same processing as in (VI) and (VII) below, composite printing is performed for a predetermined number of frames.

In addition, at the time of printing exposure of the main image, the light receiver 56 operates,
Obtain an average transmission density D _i of the print target frame of the negative film 48. The exposure amount calculating section of the controller 60 calculates the optimum exposure amount in the main image printing exposure from density D _i by a known calculation formula, and controls the filter adjusting unit 45 based on this. If the correction cannot be completed by the filter adjustment unit 45, the opening time of the shutter 54 is controlled.

In the above embodiment, by setting the installation distance of each of the exposure stages 17 and 18 to 1.5 times the print frame length L, the length of the color paper 10 between each of the exposure stages 17 and 18 is set to 1.5 times the print frame length L. In addition to this, the length of the color paper can be changed to 1.5 L by setting the distance between each stage 17 and 18 to 1.5 L or less and providing a looper roll between these stages. .

Further, in the above embodiment, the lengths of the illustration images I1 and I2 and the main images P1 and P2 are each set to 0.5 times the print frame length L, but can be changed according to the combination pattern. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the length of the illustration image I3 may be 0.3 L, and the length of the main image P3 may be 0.7 L. In this case, the position of the cutting line is shifted by an amount corresponding to the change of the pattern as compared with the first embodiment.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the length of the photosensitive material between the first exposure stage and the second exposure stage is set to 1.5 times the length L of the print frame. When the photosensitive material is advanced one frame, the first
An unexposed portion adjacent to the area printed and exposed on the exposure stage can be automatically set on the second exposure stage, thereby simplifying a photosensitive material feeding device for producing a composite print.

Moreover, when switching from the current order to the next order, in the printing exposure of the last print photograph of the current order, printing exposure is performed only in the second exposure stage without performing printing exposure in the first exposure stage. After that, the original images of the first and second exposure stages are changed from those of the current order to those of the next order, and then printed and exposed only in the first exposure stage, and thereafter the photosensitive material is fed one frame. Hereinafter, since the illustration image and the main image are printed by exposure at each exposure stage, it is possible to simultaneously exchange two original images without shifting the exchange timing of the original images. Therefore, the operation at the time of order switching is simplified, and the occurrence of a printing error or the like due to a mistake in changing the original image can be prevented. In addition, since two original images can be exchanged at the same time, the exchange operation can be performed efficiently. Further, there is no need to reversely feed the photosensitive material, and the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a photographic synthesis printing method according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a photographic synthesis printing apparatus embodying the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of another composite pattern. 10 ... Color paper 14,15 ... Convey roller pair 17,18 ... Exposure stage 25 ... Illustration image printing exposure unit 26 ... Main image printing exposure unit 60 ... Controller.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A first exposure stage and a second exposure stage are arranged in this order along a belt-shaped photosensitive material transfer path, and an illustration image is printed and exposed on one of the exposure stages and a main image is printed on the other. Then, in a photo-synthesis printing method for creating a print photograph in which an illustration image and a main image are image-synthesized for each order, the length of the photosensitive material between the first exposure stage and the second exposure stage is reduced. The illustration image and the main image are printed and exposed at each exposure stage by 1.5 times the length of one frame of the print photograph, and then the photosensitive material is advanced by one frame length L to expose the illustration image. And when you create a composite image consisting of the main image and switch from the current order to the next order,
At the time of printing exposure of the last print photograph of the current order, the second printing is performed without performing printing exposure at the first exposure stage.
Print exposure is performed only on the exposure stage. After that, the original images of the first and second exposure stages are changed from the current order to those of the next order, and then print exposure is performed only on the first exposure stage. A photographic synthesis printing method characterized in that the photosensitive material is fed one frame later and the illustration image and main image are printed and exposed at each exposure stage.