JP3726527B2 - Image processing apparatus and image processing method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that scales device-dependent data based on the resolution and print resolution of device-dependent data such as a repetitive pattern and performs printing that matches the appearance on the display. And image processing method About.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In graphic processing software that is started on an operating system such as Windows, there is a function for selecting a pattern format by repetitive drawing units called patterns for filling a graphic. As a format of this pattern, bitmap format data composed of dots can be used.
[0003]
Since the bitmap format data is generated for display on a graphics display, it has a relatively low resolution. Therefore, in the case of an output device that requires high resolution, such as a printer device, in the case of performing such drawing with bitmap pattern data, conventionally, low-resolution bitmap data prepared for this graphics display is used. The image is pasted on the drawing frame buffer of the printer as it is.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the low resolution bitmap data is pasted to the drawing frame buffer of the printer device as it is and output processing is performed, the higher the resolution of the printer device is, the higher the resolution is displayed on the graphics display. There arises a problem that the image is reduced as compared with the pattern to be displayed.
[0005]
As a simple example, a case will be described in which the resolution of the printer device is twice the resolution of the graphics display. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram for explaining a conventional example. That is, if the pattern data is originally created assuming 100 dpi and the printer device is 200 dpi, if the same pattern data composed of 6 dots × 6 dots is pasted as it is, it is printed by the printer device at a ratio of 200: 100. The resulting results appear to be reduced. That is, if the pattern data used on the screen is used and printed by the printer as it is, all the patterns appear as if they are reduced to 1/4 in area.
[0006]
In addition, when an application creates a document using multi-gradation data as a drawing color and the printer apparatus has only a binary gradation expression capability, for example, by an area gradation method using a halftone screen. In a printer device that expresses halftones, the halftone screen itself is also represented by data of a certain resolution unit, so if the halftone screen is superimposed on the pattern data fill, if both resolutions are close, moire etc. Interference will occur.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is an image processing apparatus made to solve such problems. That is, the image processing apparatus of the present invention Multiple in the page Object discriminating means for discriminating the object type, and when the object type discriminated by the object discriminating means is device-dependent data, the resolution detecting means for detecting the resolution of the device-dependent data and the resolution detecting means The image processing apparatus includes drawing processing means for performing drawing processing by scaling the device-dependent data based on the resolution and the printing resolution.
[0008]
In the present invention, even when the resolution of the device-dependent data and the print resolution are different, since the device-dependent data is scaled by the drawing processing means, the appearance on the display and the printing by the device-dependent data are equivalent. To be able to.
[0009]
The present invention also provides an image processing apparatus for forming a halftone image by an area gradation method using a screen having a predetermined resolution from input image data. Out of multiple objects in a page Resolution detection means for detecting the resolution of the device-dependent data, moire determination means for determining whether or not moire occurs in the image formed based on the resolution detected by the resolution detection means and the screen resolution, and moire determination means When it is determined that moiré occurs, the image processing apparatus includes a drawing processing unit that performs drawing processing by changing the resolution of the screen or the device-dependent data.
[0010]
In the present invention, the moire determination means determines whether or not moire occurs in the image to be formed based on the resolution of the device-dependent data and the resolution of the screen when forming the halftone image. If it is determined that the image is generated, the resolution of the screen or the device-dependent data is changed by the drawing processing means, so that it is possible to suppress the occurrence of moire based on these resolutions.
[0011]
In addition, the present invention provides an image processing apparatus that performs a drawing process in response to a pattern drawing instruction from an application. Depending on the application There is also provided an enlargement ratio determining means for determining an enlargement ratio and a pattern data generating means for generating drawing object pattern data from device-dependent data in accordance with the enlargement ratio obtained by the enlargement ratio determining means.
[0012]
In the present invention, when the device dependent data is enlarged by the application, the enlargement rate determining means determines the enlargement rate, and generates a drawing object pattern from the device dependent data according to the determined enlargement rate. Therefore, even if device-dependent data is enlarged by an application, printing can be performed in consideration of the enlargement rate, and appearance and printing can be made equivalent.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the image processing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the first embodiment will be described. In general, as shown in FIG. 1, the print processing system is roughly divided into a host apparatus side and a printer apparatus side. The host apparatus side includes an application (software) 11, a drawing library 12, and a printer driver 13, and includes a printer apparatus. On the side, a decomposer (software) 21 and a printing device 22 are provided.
[0014]
The application 11 is a part that interactively creates a document for printing in accordance with an instruction from the user. At this time, the application 11 realizes drawing by calling various drawing function groups provided by the drawing library 12. The drawing library 12 is generally provided by an operating system on a host device such as Windows, and a device for various outputs such as a graphics display and a printer device can be selected as a drawing driver.
[0015]
Of these, the printer-dependent processing part for outputting to the printer apparatus is the printer driver 13. The printer driver 13 converts a drawing instruction from the drawing library 12 into a PDL (page description language) command that is a printer control language. Therefore, when the drawing library 12 is called from the application 11, an output instruction is issued to the printer apparatus, and after being converted into PDL, it is sent to the printer apparatus.
[0016]
The decomposer 21 of the printer apparatus interprets the PDL command sent via the network, executes drawing processing, generates a buffer image for output, and actually prints this image by the printing apparatus 22.
[0017]
Next, how pattern data is drawn in such a print processing system will be described in comparison with a conventional example. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a conventional drawing procedure. That is, in the conventional pattern data drawing, first, the pattern data created by the application 11 is sent from the drawing library 12 and the printer driver 13 to the printer device via the network, and (1) to the pattern management device 21a of the decomposer 21. This is performed by an operation of registering, (2) next specifying the pattern data, and (3) drawing a figure. Here, the reason why the pattern data is registered in the printer is that once it is registered, it can be used in common for graphic drawing using the pattern.
[0018]
In contrast to such conventional drawing, in the first embodiment, a function for enlarging the pattern data is provided in the printer apparatus so that the print result is not reduced and seen. That is, the enlargement process is performed so that the pattern data corresponds to the printing resolution of the printer device from the resolution of the graphics display.
[0019]
Here, the quality when the enlargement process is performed will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining image distortion due to an enlargement ratio. That is, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the ratio between the resolution of the pattern data and the resolution of the printer device is an integral multiple (in this example, twice), quality degradation does not occur during enlargement. However, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the ratio between the resolution of the pattern data and the resolution of the printer device does not become an integral multiple, for example, 1.5 times, the pattern data is bitmap data. Therefore, distortion occurs during enlargement.
[0020]
In the case of bitmap data representing a natural image, this distortion is not noticeable due to the randomness of the dots, but the pattern data has many repeated patterns composed of lines etc. It becomes a quality problem such as the boundary between patterns does not fit well.
[0021]
Therefore, in the first embodiment, distortion during enlargement processing is avoided by rounding the enlargement ratio to an integral multiple. Generally, the resolution of the display is about 72 to 100 dpi, while the resolution of the printer apparatus is usually 600 dpi or more. For this reason, even if the enlargement ratio is rounded to an integral multiple, sufficient quality can be obtained in appearance.
[0022]
In the above description, an example has been shown in which the enlargement ratio is set assuming that the display resolution is fixed to a certain value. However, in reality, there are various types of displays, and the resolution also varies depending on the device. ing.
[0023]
Therefore, in the first embodiment, first, the resolution of the display of the host device, that is, the resolution of the pattern when the pattern data is generated as a bitmap is transmitted to the printer device. If the resolution of the pattern data generated on the host device is fixed and the value is held as an initial value when the printer device is activated, it is not necessary to transmit the resolution.
[0024]
FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram illustrating the first embodiment. That is, the display driver 14 detects the resolution information on the display 15 of the host device, sends it to the pattern information storage unit 13a of the printer driver 13, and transmits the resolution information from the PDL command generation device 13b to the printer device side. The drawing procedure includes (1) pattern data resolution designation, (2) pattern data designation, (3) designation of designated pattern data as a drawing color, and (4) figure drawing.
[0025]
When the printer device receives the resolution information of the pattern data sent as a PDL command from the printer driver 13, the printer device stores the resolution information in the pattern resolution storage unit 201a in the pattern management device 21a of the decomposer 21, and stores it in the printer device. Compared with the print resolution, the ratio required to correspond to the resolution of the printer is calculated and held. At this time, if the ratio is not an integral multiple, rounding to an integral multiple is performed.
[0026]
Next, when pattern data for filling is sent from the printer driver 13 to the printer apparatus side, the decomposer 21 of the printer apparatus determines that the object is composed of device-dependent data such as pattern data based on the PDL command. . If it is determined that the data is device-dependent data, the pattern enlargement processing unit 201b enlarges the pattern data in accordance with the ratio already held in the printer apparatus, and the drawing processing apparatus 21b generates pattern data for drawing. .
[0027]
As a result, even when the resolution of the display 15 is not fixed, it is possible to calculate a ratio corresponding to the printing resolution of the printer apparatus corresponding to the resolution, and to perform pattern data enlargement processing by multiplying it by an integral multiple. Become.
[0028]
In the first embodiment, the example in which the ratio holding unit (pattern resolution storage unit 201a) and the pattern data enlargement unit (pattern enlargement processing unit 201b) are mounted on the printer has been described. This is because when considering the traffic between the host device and the printer device, it is considered disadvantageous to transmit the pattern data after enlargement. However, if the pattern data is hardly transmitted, or if the host device and printer device are connected by high-speed communication means that can ignore traffic, all these means must be mounted on the host device. It may be left.
[0029]
Next, the second embodiment will be described. In general, a printing mechanism in a printer apparatus has a gradation expression capability in full color (gray for black and white) and does not have a gradation expression capability in full color, for example, only binary gradation expression capability. There are two major categories, such as not having a limited expression ability.
[0030]
In the case of a printer apparatus having only a binary gradation expression capability, there is an apparatus that performs halftone expression by an area gradation method using a halftone screen. When halftone processing is performed, since the density is expressed by area gradation, the resolution that can be actually expressed is lower than the printing resolution of the printer apparatus.
[0031]
Thus, the substantial resolution in the case of performing the pseudo gradation drawing by halftone is determined by the fineness of the halftone screen, and this fineness is referred to as the screen line number. Therefore, when halftones are expressed using halftones, coloring such as painting is performed with repetitive data based on the fineness of the number of screen lines. That is, halftone data representing a certain color can be captured as a pattern as in the first embodiment. That is, it can be considered as pattern data in which a repeating unit is defined by the number of lines.
[0032]
In such a system using a halftone screen, when the pattern drawing is performed with the pattern data as described in the first embodiment, that is, the drawing is performed by superimposing the halftone screen and the pattern data, the pattern data and the screen are displayed. Interference due to the number of lines, that is, “moire” may occur.
[0033]
Moire related to a halftone screen is a pattern that occurs when the period of two regular drawing figures is similar, as described in the reference “Postscript Screening” (issued by MDN, released by Impress). The frequency is represented by line number A-line number B. For example, if the pattern data is a diagonal line pattern with a resolution of 200 dpi and the drawing interval of this pattern data is halftone, the screen spacing and the number of lines are close to 190 lines / inch, the moire frequency is 10 lines / inch. Since the period is 1/10 inch, it becomes 2.54 mm. That is, an interference fringe having a repeat unit of 2.54 mm is generated. Here, it is possible to determine whether or not the state is called moire depending on whether or not the interference fringes having a period of 2.54 mm are visually conspicuous.
[0034]
Actually, the line pattern of the pattern is defined with angles such as vertical, horizontal, and diagonal, and the halftone screen side is often defined with an angle for each color component. The calculation of the moiré frequency including all these elements is performed.
[0035]
The above is an example of a moire generation mechanism and a moire period calculation method due to interference between pattern data and a halftone screen. In the second embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment described above, this moire generation occurs. It is characterized in that it has a function to apply prediction and avoid moiré.
[0036]
The resolution of the pattern data is the resolution specified from the client side such as the printer driver as described in the first embodiment. Whether or not moire occurs due to interference with the number of lines of the halftone screen. The determination of the occurrence of moiré can be performed with higher accuracy by considering the resolution based on the interval between the lines constituting the pattern of the pattern rather than the resolution of the pattern data.
[0037]
This is based on the fact that the interference between the pattern data and the halftone screen is considered to be caused by the difference in frequency between the two repeating units. The resolution of the line interval in the pattern pattern is called the number of lines in the pattern pattern.
[0038]
In the example on the left side of FIG. 5, in the pattern data having a resolution of 300 dpi, since two lines are represented in the pattern 6 dots, it is assumed that the number of lines is 1/3, which corresponds to 100 lines / inch. Can do. In the example on the right side of FIG. 5, since three lines are expressed in the pattern 6dot, it can be considered that the number of lines is halved and corresponds to 150 lines / inch. The conversion magnification from the actual resolution of the pattern data to the number of lines of the pattern pattern is referred to as the line number conversion magnification of the pattern pattern.
[0039]
Further, as described in the first embodiment, the pattern data is enlarged in accordance with the resolution ratio. Therefore, when the resolution of the input pattern data is 300 dpi and the resolution of the printing mechanism is 600 dpi, the pattern data is Enlarging processing is performed twice when drawing. As a result, the resolution of the enlarged pattern data is apparently equivalent to ½ times that is the reciprocal of the enlargement magnification of 2 times.
[0040]
From the above, in the second embodiment, the result of multiplying the number of pattern pattern lines by the reciprocal of the pattern data enlargement ratio is considered to be the number of pattern pattern lines found in the printed output image. The final result obtained in this way is called the apparent number of lines of the pattern.
[0041]
Accordingly, the apparent number of lines of the pattern data in the example of FIG. 5 is calculated as 100 × 1/2 = 50 lines / inch in the left example and 150 × 1/2 = 75 lines / inch in the right example. . Compare the final result calculated so far with the number of lines on the halftone screen. Furthermore, the comparison here does not simply calculate the difference between the apparent number of lines of the obtained pattern data and the number of lines of the halftone screen, but divides the larger one of the lines by the smaller one to divide the remainder. Determined by this remainder.
[0042]
The remainder is used because interference occurs when both frequencies are close, as described above, but even if both frequencies are extremely far apart, interference may be caused by their harmonic components. Because.
[0043]
Therefore, if the number of lines of the halftone screen is 110 lines / inch and the apparent number of lines of the pattern is 50 lines / inch, the remainder is 10 lines / inch, and the apparent number of lines of the pattern is 75 lines. In the case of / inch, the remainder is 35 lines / inch.
[0044]
If it is determined that the moire due to interference is not noticeable if the difference in the number of lines is greater than 10 lines / inch, there is a moire if the apparent number of lines in the pattern shown in the left side of FIG. 5 is 50 lines / inch. When the apparent number of lines in the pattern on the right side is 75 lines / inch, it is determined that there is no moire. That is, it is determined whether or not moire occurs from the remainder of the apparent number of lines of the pattern and the number of lines of the halftone screen.
[0045]
However, the remainder here is slightly different from the mathematical remainder. For example, when the number of lines of the halftone screen is 195 lines / inch and the apparent number of lines of the pattern is 100 lines / inch, the quotient is 1 and the remainder is 95 mathematically. However, since the difference in the number of lines between the two is actually only 5, it should be evaluated by this numerical value of 5. This can be solved by allowing the remainder to be negative and evaluating the absolute value. For example, the calculation may be performed as follows.
(1) The quotient and the remainder are obtained by dividing the large number of lines (195 in the example) by the small number of lines (100 in the example). In the example, the quotient is 1 and the remainder is 95.
(2) If the remainder is larger than ½ of the number of small lines, obtain a negative remainder with a large number of lines− (small number of lines × (quotient + 1)) = − 5, and the absolute value is A numerical value of 5 is obtained, and it is evaluated whether or not moire occurs with this numerical value.
[0046]
Here, the case where the apparent number of lines of the pattern can be obtained from the pattern data has been described. However, in the case of a pattern in which it is difficult to obtain the apparent number of lines from the pattern data or due to the problem of processing speed, it is simply The occurrence of moiré can be predicted to some extent from the comparison result between the resolution of the pattern data and the number of screen lines.
[0047]
Next, an example will be described in which such an algorithm is used to determine the presence or absence of moire and avoid it.
[0048]
FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram illustrating the second embodiment. In the following description, it is assumed that the configuration shown in FIG. 6 is provided on the printer apparatus side. In other words, this printer apparatus has a plurality of halftone screens HS, and has a function of switching and using. This is also used to select an optimum halftone screen HS depending on the type of graphic data or image data to be drawn, but can also be used for switching and using in order to prevent moire.
[0049]
The switching of the halftone screen HS is managed by the halftone management unit 23, and provides information on the type of the switchable halftone screen HS that the printer device currently has, and is switched from the pattern enlargement processing unit 201b. When instructed, the halftone screen HS is switched.
[0050]
Similarly to the first embodiment, the pattern enlargement processing unit 201b compares the resolution information of the pattern data given from the pattern resolution storage unit 201a and the resolution information of the printing mechanism of the printer apparatus, and rounds them to an integer multiple. The enlargement process is being implemented. In addition to this, in the printer device that performs halftone processing, moiré occurs by comparing the line number information of the currently set halftone screen HS given from the halftone management unit 23 with the apparent line number information of the pattern data. If the printing mechanism is capable of changing the number of halftone screen lines, change the number of screen lines or change the enlargement ratio of the pattern data. Make sure there is no moiré.
[0051]
When the pattern data enlargement ratio is changed as in the first embodiment, the appearance of the screen and the printed result, that is, the scale of the pattern of the pattern is slightly different, but the appearance is uncomfortable compared to the occurrence of moire. Will be less.
[0052]
Actually, a management table as shown in FIG. 7 is provided in the pattern enlargement processing unit 201b. That is, the management table is configured by pattern data resolution, pattern pattern line number conversion magnification, pattern data printing magnification, pattern data apparent line number, and screen line number (plural).
[0053]
For example, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 5, the resolution of the pattern data is 300 dpi, and the print magnification of the pattern data is doubled when the printing apparatus is 600 dpi. Further, the line number magnification of the pattern pattern is 1/3 in the example on the left side of FIG. 5 and 1/2 in the example on the right side. From the above data, the apparent number of lines in the final pattern can be obtained by calculation as follows.
[0054]
Apparent number of lines of pattern = pattern data resolution × pattern pattern line number conversion magnification × 1 / pattern printing enlargement ratio
[0055]
That is, in the example on the left side of FIG. 5, 300 × (1/3) × (1/2) is 50 lines, and in the example on the right side of FIG. 5, 300 × (1/2) × (1/2) is 75. Become a line. With respect to the apparent number of lines of such a pattern, whether or not moire occurs in each of the plurality of screen lines is provided as a management table as shown in FIG.
[0056]
In the above, after creating a management table based on all calculations, the presence or absence of moiré is determined by referring to this management table during actual operation. In some cases, the degree of occurrence of moiré differs depending on the type of pattern, and it may be difficult to calculate in what case moiré occurs.
[0057]
In such a case, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of management tables are prepared for each type of pattern data to which an ID number is assigned in advance, and the moire management table evaluated based on the actual print result is used. By doing so, it becomes possible to make a more accurate determination. That is, if a plurality of management tables are used, it is possible to determine in detail whether or not moiré occurs for each pattern type.
[0058]
Next, a third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, a description will be given of a case in which resolution conversion of pattern data is performed inside an application that is activated on the host device. That is, as described above, when pattern data is enlarged in the host device or the printer device, a result of excessive enlargement is caused in combination with resolution conversion (enlargement) performed by the application.
[0059]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, a determination unit for determining whether or not the enlargement process is performed on the application side is provided, and the necessary enlargement rate is determined in consideration of the enlargement rate that the application is implementing. .
[0060]
Specifically, the pattern data designated by the application is scanned, the sequence of bit data 0 or 1 is counted, and the number of times each data is repeated is obtained. For example, when pattern data as shown in FIG. 9 is designated by the application, it can be seen that this data is arranged like 00001001000011.
[0061]
When this is scanned sequentially from the left, 0 is repeated 4 times, 1 is repeated 2 times, 0 is 4 times, and 1 is repeated 2 times. If the lowest repeating unit is searched for, it will be twice. From this, it is determined that the pattern data is doubled. In addition, it can be estimated that 0 continues four times because the data before enlargement originally had 0 consecutive twice, so by doubling it.
[0062]
That is, by scanning all data and obtaining the minimum number of continuous data, the magnification of the pattern data in the application can be known. In the host device, when the display resolution is 96 dpi and the printing resolution of the printer device is 600 dpi, 3 which is obtained by rounding 600 ÷ 96 ÷ 2 to an integer value is the finally required expansion rate of pattern data. Become.
[0063]
If the determination means and the correction mechanism are provided on the printer driver side, when transmitting the pattern data resolution designation command, the resolution on the pattern data is tripled if the magnification on the application side is double. You can specify it.
[0064]
On the other hand, when this determination means is provided on the printer apparatus side, when the ratio between the resolution of the pattern data and the printing resolution of the printer apparatus is obtained, the obtained ratio may be divided by this value (3). Therefore, this determination means can be provided on either the printer driver side or the printer apparatus side.
[0065]
If the pattern data output from the application is a pattern such as “00000000”, whether the pattern “0” is multiplied by 8 or the pattern “00” is multiplied by 4 Cannot be determined.
[0066]
Therefore, it is conceivable to assume the magnification from the characteristics of the pattern. The characteristics of the pattern include the following.
1 ... The pattern enlargement rate for each application is constant (at least for the same printer).
2 ... The pattern enlargement ratio is smaller than the minimum pixel repetition. That is, when there is a pattern of “0011”, since the minimum pixel repetition is 2, the pattern enlargement ratio is less than twice.
3. The pattern may be enlarged not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction. For example,
01
10
If you double the pattern
00110011
00110011
11001100
11001100
become that way.
[0067]
From these characteristics, the pattern enlargement rate can be determined more reliably by the following method.
1. The pattern enlargement rate is registered for each application, and the value registered here is used as the pattern enlargement rate.
2... The minimum repeat unit is determined for each pattern process and set as a pattern enlargement rate candidate.
3... If the application can be discriminated, it is compared with the pattern enlargement rate registered corresponding to the application.
4. If the application cannot be identified, the unknown application pattern enlargement rate is set in advance. The unknown application pattern enlargement rate is cleared for each job.
5: For a major application, register a known pattern enlargement ratio.
[0068]
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a pattern enlargement processing apparatus. That is, in this pattern enlargement processing device, the printer driver 13 implements a configuration in which the pattern repetition period is determined from the pattern data designated by the application 11 and an appropriate pattern enlargement rate is determined.
[0069]
The application 11 issues a print instruction to the printer driver 13. The print instruction is composed of the following two.
1 ... Rendering instructions that make up the display content of the page
2 ... Non-drawing instruction including application information
[0070]
The drawing instructions are divided into the following two types for convenience of explanation.
1 ... Drawing instructions other than pattern registration
2. Pattern registration instruction
[0071]
The print instruction output from the application 11 is sent to the print instruction type determination unit 131, and processing is switched according to the type of print instruction. That is, in the case of a drawing instruction other than pattern registration, it is sent to the printer 20 as it is. The non-rendering instruction is sent to the application type determination unit 132, and the pattern registration instruction is sent to the repetition cycle determination unit 133.
[0072]
The application type determination unit 132 sends the determined application type to the application-specific pattern frequency recording unit 134. On the other hand, the repetition cycle determination unit 133 sends the determined repetition cycle to the application-specific frequency recording unit 134. The registered pattern data is sent to the pattern enlargement unit 201b.
[0073]
The application-specific pattern frequency recording unit 134 sends the pattern magnification to the pattern enlargement processing unit 201b according to the determined application type. The pattern enlargement processing unit 201b enlarges the pattern data in accordance with the pattern magnification, and sends it to the printer as pattern data printer registration.
[0074]
Here, the processing in the application type determination unit 132, the processing in the repetition period determination unit 133, and the processing in the pattern enlargement processing unit 201b will be described in order. FIG. 11 is a processing flowchart in the application type determination unit.
[0075]
First, in step S101, it is determined whether a document name of data to be printed can be acquired. If the document name cannot be acquired, the process proceeds to step S106, and the unknown application is set. On the other hand, if the document name can be acquired, the process proceeds to step S102, where the document name is acquired.
[0076]
In step S103, an extension attached to the acquired document name is extracted. In step S104, it is determined whether or not the extracted extension is associated with the application. If it is associated, the process proceeds to step S105, and the associated application name is acquired.
[0077]
On the other hand, if the extension is not associated with the application, the process proceeds to step S106, and the application is determined as unknown. By such processing, the application type determination unit can acquire the application name.
[0078]
Next, processing in the repetition period determination unit will be described along the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S201, the initial value of the enlargement factor K is set as an invalid value, and in step S202, the color (data) of the leftmost point of the pattern data is set as the initial value of the pixel value A. In step S203, the initial value of the repetition number N is set to 1.
[0079]
Next, in step S204, it is determined whether there is a next point in the X direction of the pattern data. If there is, it is determined in step S205 whether the color (data) of the next point is the same as A. If they are the same, the process proceeds to step S206, 1 is added to the repetition number N, and the process returns to step S204.
[0080]
If it is determined in step S205 that the color (data) of the point is not the same as A, the process proceeds to step S207 to determine whether K is an effective value. In the case of first proceeding to step S207, since K is initialized to an invalid value in step S201, the process proceeds to step S208, and the value of N is substituted for K. If K is not 1, the process returns to step S204. If K is 1, the process proceeds to step S214, where K = 1 is set as the pattern enlargement ratio.
[0081]
When returning to step S204, the next repetition number N is counted along the X direction in steps S205 to S206. Next, when proceeding to step S207, since K is an effective value, the process proceeds to step S209, and the greatest common divisor of K and N is set as the value of K. If K is not 1, the process returns to step S204. If K is 1, the process proceeds to step S214, where K = 1 is set as the pattern enlargement ratio.
[0082]
If there is no next point in the X direction, the process proceeds to step S211 to determine whether there is a next line. If there is a next line, steps S202 to S209 are repeated for the next line to obtain the value of K. When all the processes are completed for the X direction (horizontal direction), the scan direction is changed in step S213, and the same process as described above is repeated for the Y direction (vertical direction). Thereby, the expansion rate K of the pattern data can be obtained.
[0083]
The obtained enlargement ratio K is sent to the application-specific pattern frequency recording unit 134 shown in FIG. 10 and is recorded in correspondence with the application determined by the application type determining unit 132.
[0084]
Next, processing in the pattern enlargement processing unit will be described along the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S301, the pattern magnification is set to K. This K corresponds to the enlargement ratio K obtained by the processing (see FIG. 12) in the repetition period determination unit described above.
[0085]
Next, in step S302, the resolution ratio between the screen and the printer is calculated as S. Next, in step S303, a value obtained by converting S / K into an integer is calculated as M. In other words, this M is a pattern output from the application in order to make the appearance of the pattern data displayed on the screen and the pattern data printed by the printer equivalent in consideration of the expansion of the pattern data in the application. The value indicates the data magnification.
[0086]
In step S304, the registration pattern is repeated M times in the vertical and horizontal directions to obtain a printer registration pattern. That is, the printer registration pattern is generated by multiplying the registration pattern vertically and horizontally. As a result, when pattern data is output by a printer, it is possible to obtain a print output substantially equal to the appearance on the screen by using this printer registration pattern.
[0087]
Through the processes described above, it is possible to determine an appropriate pattern enlargement rate corresponding to the application and register the enlarged pattern data in the printer.
[0088]
It should be noted that once the printer device has been sold and passed to the user, it is difficult to change the specifications later. Changes can be made later with printer drivers, which are relatively easy to distribute to users later.
[0089]
The problem here is that if both the host device and the printer device have the above-described determination means, an accurate enlargement ratio cannot be obtained. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, since the resolution values such as pattern data and download font data, whether or not resolution conversion is performed on the printer side, and the paper is insufficient on the printer device side, the paper is placed vertically. Whether the pattern data and download font data are also rotated on the printer side when the paper is rotated, such as changing to landscape orientation, whether the pattern data and download font are enlarged or reduced according to the enlargement / reduction of the paper, etc. A setting flag is provided on the printer, and is set in advance by a printer control command.
[0090]
As a result, it is possible to perform function selection when both the host device and the printer device are provided with a determination unit by selecting a function. Also, if there is any problem with the printer device, or if a better processing method is considered later, only the printer driver can be renewed, and functions can be easily corrected.
[0091]
In the above-described embodiment, pattern data is used as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any data other than pattern data can be used as long as the data depends on the resolution of an output device (display, printer, facsimile, etc.). Even so, it is applicable.
[0092]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the image processing apparatus according to the present invention has the following effects. That is, even if the pattern data generated on the graphics display is printed by the printer, it can be processed without impairing the appearance (so-called WYSIWYG). At this time, distortion caused by expansion of the pattern data can be suppressed. Furthermore, even in a printer apparatus that performs gradation conversion using a halftone screen, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of moire in consideration of interference between pattern data and halftone screen data.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a general print processing system.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional drawing procedure.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating image distortion due to an enlargement ratio.
FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram illustrating a first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the number of lines in a pattern and the number of apparent lines.
FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram illustrating a second embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a management table.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a plurality of management tables.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating determination of an enlargement ratio of pattern data.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a pattern enlargement processing apparatus.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating processing in an application type determination unit.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining processing in a repetition cycle determination unit.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating processing in a pattern enlargement processing unit.
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting flag.
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a conventional example.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Application, 12 ... Drawing library, 13 ... Printer driver, 14 ... Display driver, 15 ... Display, 21 ... Decomposer, 22 ... Printing apparatus

Claims (6)

In an image processing apparatus that receives a pattern drawing instruction from an application and performs a drawing process,
An enlargement rate determining means for determining an enlargement rate according to the application of the device dependent data according to the pattern drawing instruction;
An image processing apparatus comprising: pattern data generation means for scaling the device-dependent data according to the enlargement ratio determined by the enlargement ratio determination means to generate drawing object pattern data. The enlargement ratio determining means, the image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scanning the device-dependent data to determine the magnification based on the repeating unit of data. The enlargement ratio determining means, the image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining the enlargement ratio depending on the extensions associated with the application. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the enlargement ratio determining unit determines the enlargement ratio by referring to an enlargement ratio registered in advance according to an extension associated with the application. A flag indicating whether the device-dependent data is enlarged or reduced when the document size created by the application is different from the print size, and whether the device-dependent data is rotated according to the paper direction with respect to the print direction. It has a data group in which a flag indicating
Said pattern data generating means, the image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the generating pattern data for the drawing object based on the flag of the data group. In an image processing method for performing a drawing process in response to a pattern drawing instruction from an application,
Determining an enlargement rate according to the application of the device-dependent data according to the pattern drawing instruction;
A step of scaling the device-dependent data in accordance with the determined enlargement ratio and generating drawing object pattern data.

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