JP3764526B2 - Digital printing method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital printing method and apparatus for projecting a film original image onto an image sensor with a zoom lens, photoelectrically reading it, performing digital signal processing, exposing a photosensitive material to a laser, and obtaining a print of a desired image size. .
[0002]
[Prior art]
Currently, printing of images taken on photographic film originals such as negative films and reversal films (hereinafter referred to as film originals or simply films) onto photographic materials such as photographic paper is performed by projecting the image of the film original onto the photosensitive material. This is performed by so-called direct exposure in which the photosensitive material is subjected to surface exposure.
[0003]
In contrast, in recent years, a printing system using digital exposure, that is, image information recorded on a film is photoelectrically read, the read image is converted into a digital signal, and then subjected to various image processing for recording. A digital print system has been proposed in which a photosensitive material is scanned and exposed by recording light modulated in accordance with this image information, an image (latent image) is recorded, and developed to be printed. The development of digital photo printers is underway.
[0004]
The digital print system allows you to freely edit images such as composition of multiple images, image division, print image editing layout such as editing of characters and images, and various image processing such as color / density adjustment, scaling, and edge enhancement. It is possible to output a finished print that has been freely edited and processed according to the application. Also, conventional direct exposure printing systems cannot reproduce all image density information recorded on film etc. in terms of density resolution, spatial resolution, color / density reproducibility, etc. According to this, it is possible to output a print reproducing almost 100% of the image density information recorded on the film.
Furthermore, according to the digital printing system, it is possible to store (save) the image information of the image recorded on each film and the image processing conditions for the image information in an external memory such as a memory or a floppy disk of the apparatus. Therefore, when performing reprinting or the like, the film as the original image is not necessary, and it is not necessary to set the processing conditions again, so that operations such as reprinting can be performed quickly and efficiently.
[0005]
Such a digital print system or digital photo printer basically has an image input device that photoelectrically reads an image recorded on a document such as a film by an image sensor, a display device that displays the read image, and a read image. An image processing apparatus that determines the exposure conditions for image recording by image processing, and scans and exposes the photosensitive material in accordance with the determined exposure conditions for development processing.ShiAn image recording apparatus for obtaining prints. The present applicant has proposed an apparatus and method for realizing such a digital printing system in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 6-217091, 6-233052, and 6-245062. The gazette discloses an outline of a digital photo printer apparatus.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in a conventional analog printer, a film original image illuminated by a light source such as a lamp is directly projected onto a photosensitive material by an imaging lens, and exposure printing is performed. For example, the user needs to mask the image surface of a film document so that it does not have black edges, and when the finished print has no edges, it must be projected so that there is no mask image. In consideration of variations, adjustment errors, machine differences, deterioration with time, and the like, the print image is set to be a slightly smaller screen image of all the image planes of the document. For this reason, the image reproduced on the print has a peripheral portion of the image surface of the film document cut away. In this way, the printer user can suppress the occurrence of complaints from the majority of customers and trim the individual original images for a small number of customers who want to reproduce a small number of prints to the periphery of the original image. Etc. to deal with it.
[0007]
However, depending on the type (type) of the film original, for example, in the case of a reversal film (RV) or the like, even a print of a small size, for example, an L size (127 × 89 mm), is not only an amateur but also a photograph. There are many cases that are handled by a house or a person engaged in advertisement or printing, etc., and the eyes of the print are different, and the demand for the reproduction rate of the screen of the original image is severe. For such professionals, the above-described L size RV print is close to trial printing. For example, since trial printing is performed to determine a trimming area for large enlargement, the entire original image on one reversal film is as small as possible or there is no image, and the edges Some customers request that the full screen of the original image is reproduced and the image is not lost at all.
[0008]
However, in the continuous processing printer, the trimming process is set for each original image. Therefore, the projection magnification and the optical magnification of the imaging lens for each of all the images of one film original. It is troublesome to perform trimming processing by adjusting the adjustment, there is a problem that efficiency is poor and productivity does not increase.
In addition, printer users may be characterized by the reproducibility limits of film manuscript images in finished prints to their customers, and adjust the magnification of the printer's imaging lens either specially, or by modification or modification. There are places where the reproducibility limit is full, and on the other hand, there is a place where I don't like to have any margins and give a large margin to the reproducibility limit. However, such special adjustment and refurbishment adjustment of the imaging lens of the printer are troublesome and cannot cope with various adjustments, and in some cases cannot be restored.
Therefore, there is a demand for a printer that allows the user to easily adjust the magnification setting value of the imaging lens according to his / her preference, adjust the reproduction limit of the original image, and easily return to the original setting value. Yes.
[0009]
On the other hand, problems and requests in such an analog printer are exactly the same in the digital print system. However, in a digital photo printer to which the above-described digital print system is applied, a film original image or its peripheral portion is simply masked, and the masked original image is applied to a planar image sensor such as an area CCD by an imaging lens. It only proposes to read photoelectrically by projecting, the relationship between the projected image of the mask image and the effective pixel area of the image sensor, the magnification of the imaging lens and the reproduction limit of the original image, and these and the original It does not matter image blurring, nor does it disclose any adjustment or restoration of the magnification of the imaging lens and the reproduction limit of the original image.
[0010]
The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and can print a plurality of sizes on a plurality of film originals having different film sizes. Digital printing method and apparatus capable of easily adjusting the set value of the magnification of the imaging lens and easily restoring after adjustment in order to easily adjust the reproduction limit of the carried image to the print according to the user's preference I will provide athingIt is in.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of film originals having different film sizes and types are projected with a zoom lens and a photoelectric image is read by an image sensor. A digital printing method for performing a digital image processing, exposing a photosensitive material based on the obtained digital image signal, and developing to obtain a print having a reproduced image of an arbitrary print size. When the carrier ID code is read from the carrier dedicated to the film document held at the reading position and the set optical magnification of the zoom lens is set for the read carrier ID code, the set optical magnification of the zoom lens is From the standard optical magnification set in advance for the carrier ID code, There is provided a digital printing method and setting the adjustment optical magnification adjusted in accordance with the combination of the print size to be printed the reproduced image and carrier ID code.
[0012]
Here, the adjustment amount of the standard optical magnification for obtaining the adjustment optical magnification is preferably 50% to 150%.
The adjustment optical magnification is set by obtaining a movement amount of the zoom lens according to an actual optical magnification obtained by adjusting the standard optical magnification from a predetermined relationship, and the zoom lens by this movement amount. To read the image carried on the film document, perform image processing, and compare the read image of the image sensor displayed on the monitor with a reference line indicating the print finished area, or exposure and development. It is preferable to repeat the process to obtain a print having a set print size until the reproduced image having a desired size with respect to the print size is obtained.
[0013]
The second aspect of the present invention provides a film carrier that is prepared for each different film size and holds a film original in a reading position, a zoom lens that projects an image carried on the film original, and a moving means for the zoom lens And an image sensor that photoelectrically reads the projected carrier image, an image processing unit that digitally processes an image signal read by the image sensor, and a digital image signal obtained by the image processing unit, A digital printing apparatus having image output means for exposing a photosensitive material and developing the image to obtain a print having a reproduced image of an arbitrary print size,
Means for reading a carrier ID code from a carrier dedicated to the film original holding the film original at a reading position; and means for selecting a standard optical magnification of the zoom lens preset for the read carrier ID code; Adjusting the selected standard optical magnification according to the combination of the carrier ID code and the print size on which the reproduced image is to be printed, and calculating the adjustment optical magnification; and the zoom lens corresponding to the adjustment optical magnification And a means for calculating the amount of movement of the digital printing apparatus.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A digital printing method and apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below based on a preferred embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.
[0015]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing, in a block diagram, an embodiment of a digital printing apparatus that implements the digital printing method of the present invention.
A digital printing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes an image input apparatus 12 that photoelectrically reads a loaded image of a film document having a different film size, setting of reading conditions in the image input apparatus 12, and control of the image input apparatus 12 based on this. In particular, a control device 14 that performs optical magnification and electronic magnification and determination of a read pixel region and a cutout pixel region, image processing of a read image signal, automatic setting of image processing conditions (auto setup), and the like in the present invention; Based on the image signal processed by the control device 14, the photosensitive material is subjected to image exposure, developed to output a print carrying a reproduced image, and an original image read by the image input device 12 is displayed. Then, depending on the print size output from the image output device 16, an image area to be reproduced and an image for displaying a trimming area are displayed. An image signal of a document image read by the display device (monitor) 18 and the image input device 12, or an image signal processed by the control device 14 or used by the image output device 16, as well as image processing conditions and exposure conditions Server, HD, etc., or MO (magneto-optical recording medium) or magnetic recording medium such as magnetic tape or FD, and external storage device 20 composed of a driver thereof, and various conditions And a data input device 22 such as a keyboard 22a and a mouse 22b for inputting information such as setting, processing selection, and correction.
[0016]
An image input apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an input apparatus) 12 shown in FIG. 2 is a long negative film or a reversal film, and strips on which a large number of images are taken, or a single reversal film is usually a frame. Films of different types and sizes, such as slides fixed to (mount)TheAn apparatus for photoelectrically reading an image photographed on a film document as a film document, basically comprising an optical frame 13, a light source unit 24, a carrier base 26, an imaging unit 28 incorporating a zoom lens, The image sensor 30 serving as an area sensor and a carrier such as a film carrier 32 and a slide carrier 34 (see FIG. 3) that are interchangeably mounted on the carrier base 26 are included.
In the input device 12, the film carrier 32 or the slide carrier 34 mounted on the carrier base 26 conveys the strips A or the slide B in the direction of the arrow x in the drawing and stops at the reading position Z. Is irradiated onto the film original image to obtain projection light that carries the image photographed on the film original, and the projection light is imaged on the image sensor 30 in the imaging unit 28, and photoelectrically converted in the image sensor 30. By obtaining an image signal, an image photographed on a film original is read two-dimensionally as an image signal. Such control of the input device 12 is performed by a control unit 70 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) of the control device 14 described later.
[0017]
The light source unit 24 is used to irradiate the film original (strips A or slide B) so that the image original 30 can be separated into the three primary colors R, G, and B by the image sensor 30 and read with high accuracy. Each color light having a sufficient amount of diffused light is generated. In the input device 12 shown in the figure, the strips A are irradiated from below to obtain projection light, which is below the carrier base 26 of the optical frame 13. Located, has a light source 35, a reflector 35a, an aperture 36, a color filter 38, and a diffusion box 40. In addition to this, the light source unit 24 is provided with a cooling fan or the like for cooling various members such as the light source 35, and further, a shutter for shielding light emitted from the light source 35 as necessary. May be provided.
As the light source 35, various known light sources capable of emitting reading light having a sufficient amount of light for image reading by the image sensor 30 can be used, and examples thereof include a halogen lamp, a xenon lamp, and a mercury lamp.
[0018]
The diaphragm 36 adjusts the amount of light from the light source 35. In the illustrated example, two ND filters having a logarithmic curve drawn at the light shielding portion and having different amounts of passing light in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis L are used. The amount of light from the light source 35 to the film is adjusted by moving them closer to each other in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis L.
The color filter 38 has three color filters, an R (red) filter, a G (green) filter, and a B (blue) filter, in a disk-like member, and rotates the central axis thereof by a rotating unit when reading an image. Acting on the optical axis LcolorfilterTurn offIn other words, an R filter, a G filter, and a B filter are sequentially inserted into the optical path L, and an image photographed on a film original is separated into three primary colors R, G, and B and read.
The diffusion box 40 is emitted from the light source 35, the amount of light is adjusted by the diaphragm 36, diffuses the reading light passing through the color filter, and the surface of the reading light incident on the film is orthogonal to the optical axis L. In the example shown in the figure, the diffuser plate is arranged on the upper and lower surfaces of a square prism whose inner surface is a mirror surface. Is available.
[0019]
A carrier base 26 is disposed above the light source unit 24. The carrier base 26 is a part that holds a film carrier 32 or a slide carrier 34 described later on the upper surface thereof and holds it at a predetermined position, and is fixed perpendicularly to the optical frame 13. The carrier base 26 is formed with an opening (not shown) for allowing the light from the light source unit 24 to pass therethrough at a portion corresponding to the optical axis L. Note that this opening corresponds to the maximum screen size so that light from the light source unit 24 in the input device 12 is sufficiently irradiated to the entire surface of the maximum image plane size (size) of the film document that can be read by the image sensor 30. Is set.
[0020]
On the upper surface of the carrier base 26, the optical frame 1 is viewed from the front side in the figure.3Guide rails 42 and 42 are formed in the direction toward the direction of the arrow x, that is, the direction of the arrow y perpendicular to the direction of the arrow x which is the transport direction, while the guide rails 42 and 42 are formed on the bottom surfaces of the film carrier 32 and the slide carrier 34. The grooves 44 and 44 to be fitted are formed. In both the film carrier 32 and the slide carrier 34, the grooves 44, 44 are fitted into the guide rails 42, 42 of the carrier base 26, and the end surface on the back side in the figure contacts the optical frame 13 in the arrow y direction. By pushing and fixing until contact, the positions in the directions of the arrows x and y are defined, and are positioned and placed at predetermined positions on the carrier base 26.
These carriers 32 and 34 can be removed from the carrier base 26 and exchanged with each other very easily by pulling them in the front direction in the figure and removing the grooves 44 and 44 from the guide rails 42 and 42. The film carrier 3 is placed at a predetermined position on the carrier base 26.2The means for mounting the slide carrier 34 and the like is not particularly limited.
[0021]
The film carrier 32 conveys a long negative film or reversal film on which a large number of images have been photographed, so-called strips (sleeves) A, in the longitudinal direction thereof, and each image photographed on the strips A is an optical axis L. The paper is sequentially conveyed to a predetermined position above, that is, a reading position Z corresponding to the opening of the carrier base 26 (not shown) and used for reading. A guide groove 46 is formed on the upper surface of the film carrier 32 so as to extend from one end to the other at a position that intersects the optical axis L in the transport direction indicated by the arrow x. The guide groove 46 is a groove having substantially the same width as the strips A, and the strips A are conveyed while the longitudinal direction thereof coincides with the x direction in a state of being inserted into the guide grooves 46. , And conveyed to a reading position Z on the optical axis L. Accordingly, the depth of the guide groove 46 is set so that the image surface (that is, the emulsion surface) of the strips A is at a predetermined position in the optical axis L direction (focal depth direction).
[0022]
Further, an opening through which light from the light source unit 24 passes is formed at the reading position Z of the film carrier 32. This opening functions as a mask for determining the size of the image of the film original read by the image sensor 30 in the input device 12, and the shape and size (size) of the opening, that is, the size of the opening area of the mask is determined by the film. In accordance with the screen size (size) of a film document placed on the carrier 32, for example, 135-size strips A, the screen size is set so as to be inscribed at the very minimum so that the image is minimized. Note that the opening at the reading position Z of the film carrier 32 occupies a different predetermined position on the same optical axis L as the opening of the carrier base 26 described above, and is emitted from the light source unit 24 to open the opening of the carrier base 26. Of course, the light passing therethrough can sufficiently irradiate the entire opening regardless of the film carrier 32 on which a film document of any screen size is placed. Therefore, the light emitted from the light source unit 24 and defined by the mask can sufficiently irradiate the entire screen size of the original image that can be read by the input device 12. The opening formed in the film carrier 32 may be a size corresponding to the opening of the carrier base 26, and the mask corresponding to various size films may be exchanged to be mounted on the film carrier 32.
[0023]
In the guide groove 46, the transport means 48 of the strips A, the film crimping unit 50, and the screen detection sensor 52 are arranged from the upstream in the x direction to the downstream.
The transport means 48 is composed of a motor 48a and a transport roller 48b, and intermittently transports the strips A in the direction of the arrow x. The strips are detected by a screen detection sensor 52 for detecting a photographed image or DX code. When it is detected that the image of A has come to the reading position Z, it stops, and when the reading end signal is received from the control device 14, the conveyance of the strips A is started again, and the next image is conveyed to the reading position Z.
The film crimping unit 50 rotates the crimping member 50b having an opening for allowing the projection light of the strips A to pass around the pivot shaft 50a in the direction of the arrow b, and is arranged at the reading position Z at the time of image reading. By crimping the strips A to the guide groove 46, the curls of the strips A are corrected to hold the entire surface of the image at a predetermined position in the direction of the optical axis L, that is, the original placement position.
The transport of the strips A in the film carrier 32 and the operation of the film crimping unit 50 are not limited to those that are automatically controlled using the screen detection sensor 52 or the like as in the above example, but semi-automatically or by the operator The crimping member 50b may be manually rotated and / or the conveyance unit 48 may be stopped and driven.
[0024]
The slide carrier 34 shown in FIG.2It is mounted on the carrier base 26 in exchange for the film carrier 32 shown in FIG. 5 and a film B on which an image is taken is held by a frame, so-called slide B is transported in the direction of the arrow x and stopped at the photographing position Z. The slide B which is used for reading and which has been read is collected. A guide groove 54 that guides the slide B is formed on the upper surface of the slide carrier 34 so as to extend from one end to the other at a position that intersects the optical axis L in the conveyance direction of the slide B indicated by the arrow x. . The depth of the guide groove 54 is set so that the image plane of the slide B is substantially at a predetermined position in the optical axis L direction (focal depth direction). Furthermore, the slide carrier 34 includes a film carrier.32Similarly to the above, an opening functioning as a mask through which light from the light source unit 24 passes is formed at the reading position Z. Film carrier32Similarly to the above, the mask may be a separate body and replaceable according to the size of the slide B.
[0025]
A cover 56 is disposed in the vicinity of the reading position Z on the upper surface of the slide carrier 34. The cover 56 is formed with a passage hole 56a through which the projection light of the slide B passes on the upper surface, and covers the slide B at the reading position Z during normal reading, but can be rotated in the direction of arrow c in the figure, and if necessary The reading position Z can be opened. Although not shown below the cover 56, it has a guide groove 54 that is slightly wider. In the vicinity of the entrance and the reading position Z, the slide B automatically fed by the operator and the conveying means are automatically provided. A sensor for detecting the tip of the slide B conveyed to the guide groove 54 is disposed, and a plurality of, for example, six rollers for conveying the slide B are disposed on both sides of the wide portion of the guide groove 54, respectively. This roller is a transport roller for slide B that is rotated at a predetermined speed by a drive source (not shown), and the lower roller is a driven roller that can bias slide B upward by biasing means such as a spring. At the reading position Z, if necessary, a slide presser that presses the slide B against the guide groove 54 at the leading end thereof and corrects the distortion or lifting of the slide B (the frame body) is arranged at the time of reading. May be.
[0026]
A slide collection box 58 for collecting the slide B that has been read is disposed downstream of the cover 56 (in the direction of the arrow x). The slide collection box 58 in the illustrated example is configured to be inserted under the slide B that has already been collected and accommodate the slide B. The slide B that has been read is sequentially stacked and collected from below. The In addition, the slide collection box 58 may be a box that accommodates the slide B that has been dropped by the pushing of the slide B that is transported later.
[0027]
In the present invention, the carrier for placing the film original at the reading position is preferably a replaceable carrier corresponding to one to one every time the type and size of the film original are different. In addition to the above-described film carrier 32 and slide carrier 34 that automatically or semi-automatically convey the slide B to the reading position Z, an opening for allowing light from the light source unit 24 to pass therethrough is formed at the reading position Z, and guide rails 42 and 42 are provided. Any carrier can be used as long as it has a groove that fits in, and even if the operator is a manual carrier that fixes the strip or slide in place, the operator can place the film or slide in any position. It may be a trimming carrier or the like that is arranged and read.
Each of these carriers is given a carrier ID code. When each carrier is attached to the carrier base 26 of the optical frame 13 and is electrically connected, the corresponding carrier ID code is transmitted to the control device 14. Configured.
[0028]
On the upper part of the optical frame 13, an imaging unit 28 that images the projection light of the strips A and the slide B on the image sensor 30 is disposed. The imaging unit 28 includes a zoom lens unit 62, a magnification adjusting motor 63, and a focus adjusting motor 64 that are suspended from a surface plate 60 fixed to the optical frame 13. The lens unit 62 changes the optical magnification according to the size of the strips A and the slide B, and the maximum size (that is, the necessary image area is received by the image sensor 30) that can be received by the image sensor 30. A zoom lens group 66 in which a known zoom lens is incorporated, and a projection light positioned above (downstream in the direction of the optical axis L). And a focus lens group 68 in which a known focus adjustment lens for adjusting the focus of the image sensor 30 on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 30 is incorporated.
[0029]
Here, in the zoom lens group 66, the adjustment gear 66a is meshed with a gear 63a rotated by a magnification adjustment motor 63 which is a zoom motor, and is set by the motor 63 according to a specific standard optical magnification or the method of the present invention. The projection image having a size corresponding to the set optical magnification is moved and adjusted in the optical axis L direction so as to form an image on the image sensor 30. The driving amount of the magnification adjustment motor 63 is determined by a magnification-pulse table stored in the memory 78. The focus lens group 68 has its adjustment gear 68a meshed with a gear 64a rotated by a focus adjustment motor 64, and the focus is adjusted by this motor 64, that is, the focus lens group 68 is moved and adjusted to a focus position. The drive of the focus adjustment motor 64 is controlled by the automatic focus adjustment means 80 of the control device 14, and the input device 12 in the illustrated example is obtained by being read by the image sensor 30 by the TTL (Through The Lens) method. Automatic focus adjustment (autofocus: AF) is performed using the image and its contrast. Note that a temperature sensor such as a thermistor may be attached to the imaging unit 28 in order to correct the variation in the focal position of the lens unit 62 due to the variation in the lens temperature.
[0030]
The projection light of the strips A and the slide B is imaged on the image sensor 30 by the lens unit 62 and is read photoelectrically. A known shutter used for dark current correction or the like may be disposed between the lens unit 62 and the image sensor 30.
In the input device 12 that performs two-dimensional image reading, the image sensor 30 is an area sensor, for example, a CCD sensor of 1380 × 920 pixels. Further, in the illustrated apparatus, the image sensor 30 is configured to be movable in the x direction and the y direction by an amount corresponding to a half pixel, whereby the number of read pixels can be apparently increased up to four times. .
The image input device 12 is basically configured as described above.
[0031]
A signal from the image sensor 30 is output to the control device 14.
As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 14 receives output signals from the image sensor 30 of the input device 12 and the control unit 70 that controls each part and the whole of the image input device 12 and the digital printing device 10 of the present invention. A signal processing device 72 that performs predetermined signal processing to obtain an input image signal, and an image processing device 74 that performs necessary or desired image processing on the obtained image signal and outputs the resultant image signal to the image output device 16 as an output image signal. And have.
The control unit 70 not only controls the signal processing operation of the signal processing device 72 but also controls each unit and the whole of the input device 12, and implements the method for adjusting the set optical magnification of the zoom lens according to the present invention. CPU 76 constituting setting optical magnification adjusting means 75 comprising: reading optical magnification information, zoom lens movement amount information, image sensor information, carrier information, output pixel density, print size, magazine information, output margin, input / output A memory 78 for storing pixel defects and the like; an automatic focus adjusting means 80 for performing automatic focus adjustment using an image read by the image sensor 30; an image rotating means 82; a negative / positive converting means 84; . Further, the controller 70 is operated to input the input device 12, set the reading conditions such as the reading optical magnification, set the print size (the size of the output image) and the main subject, and operate and input the color / density correction. A monitor that displays an image read by the keyboard 22a, mouse 22b, and image sensor 3018Etc. are connected.
[0032]
FIG. 4 shows a detailed block diagram of an embodiment of the control unit 70 and the signal processing device 72. In the control unit 70, the CCD 30 is connected to the CPU bus via a movement control circuit 30a in the xy directions for performing pixel shifting that apparently increases the number of read pixels. Image information read by the CCD 30 is input to the signal processing device 72. In the signal processing device 72, the analog image data read by the CCD 30 is converted into digital image data by the A / D converter 86, the DC offset is corrected by the offset correction circuit 87, and then in the dark time by the dark time correction circuit 88. Correction is applied. After that, LOG conversion is performed by the LOG conversion circuit 89, shading correction is performed by the shading correction circuit 90, an input image signal is stored, stored in the frame memory 91, and output to the image processing device 74.
The image data that has been corrected by the dark correction circuit 88 is input to the automatic focus adjustment means 80. First, the automatic focus adjustment unit 80 controls the focus adjustment motor 64 to move the lens unit 62 to each point at a predetermined interval in a predetermined search area to obtain dark-corrected image data at each point. By repeatedly obtaining the integrated image contrast value, the position where this is the maximum is determined as the focus position (focus position), and the focus adjustment motor 64 is controlled via the CPU bus to this focus position, and the lens unit 62 is controlled. Set.
[0033]
On the other hand, the loaded carrier ID code of either the strips A film carrier 32 or the slide B slide carrier 34 is input from the keyboard 22a or the mouse 22b from the carrier ID determination means 31. Information such as printing conditions such as registered print size selected, added or modified, adjustment values for reading optical magnification, recording conditions such as color and / or density correction, dodging correction, gradation correction, etc. are transmitted via the CPU bus. The data is input to the CPU 76, the memory 78, and the automatic focus adjustment unit 80.
Light source unit24The light source 35, the aperture (iris aperture) 36, and the color filter 38 are connected to the CPU 76 via the CPU bus, respectively.aThe aperture control circuit 36a and the color filter control circuit 38a control the light intensity, the opening degree, and the type of the color filter.
[0034]
The set optical magnification adjustment means 75 of the CPU 76 selects a standard optical magnification stored in the memory 78 from the carrier ID code input from the carrier ID determination means 31, and this carrier ID code (film document type, size, A memory 78 for calculating the adjustment optical magnification from the standard optical magnification selected according to the adjustment value of the set optical magnification of the zoom lens unit 62 input by the data input device 22 for the combination of the mask size) and the print size; From the relationship between the optical magnification stored in the zoom lens unit 62 and the amount of movement of the zoom lens group 66 of the zoom lens unit 62, that is, the number of pulses applied to the magnification adjustment motor 63, for example, an adjustment calculated from a table (LUT) representing these relationships Travel distance (number of pulses) corresponding to optical magnificationTheMeans for calculating. The operation of each means will be described later.
[0035]
The memory 78 contains carrier information such as the ID code of the carrier mounted on the carrier base 26, the mask size of the carrier (dimension information in the main and sub scanning directions), the type and size of the film set on the carrier, and the carrier ID. Magnification indicating the position of the zoom lens group 66 of the zoom lens 62 corresponding to the code and the corresponding standard optical magnification or set optical magnification (the amount of movement from the home position HP, that is, the number of pulses applied to the magnification adjustment motor 63) Read optical magnification information necessary for carrying out the method of the present invention, such as a pulse table, image sensor information such as size (dimension information in the main and sub scanning directions), pixel density, and effective pixel area (number) of the image sensor 30 Output pixel density of output device 16, registered print size (long / short side (vertical and horizontal) dimension information), image output device ID information of the magazine loaded in the magazine 6, magazine information such as the size (width information) and type of photosensitive material stored in the magazine, the meandering of the photosensitive material in the conveying device of the image output device 16, and the light beam scanning device Output margin amount taking into account main scanning length error, etc., image such as input pixel defect (number of pixels) and USM (unsharpness mask) by image processing such as LPF (low pass filter) and electronic zooming in image processing device 74 Various information such as information necessary for operation control of the digital printing apparatus 10 of the present invention is stored, including information such as output pixel deficiency (number of pixels) due to processing.
[0036]
Also, the image rotation control means 82 provided in the control unit 70 transmits information on the photosensitive material loaded from the image output machine 16, in particular, width information. It is necessary to determine whether the recording direction of the output image, that is, the main scanning direction, is the vertical or horizontal direction of the read image from the printed print size information, and to convert the vertical or horizontal direction of the read image, that is, to rotate it by 90 ° When the rotation is necessary, the image is rotated.
By the way, in the image output device 16, a long photosensitive material wound in a roll shape is used, and the photosensitive material conveyed in the sub-scanning direction is one-dimensional direction substantially orthogonal to the sub-scanning conveying direction, that is, the main scanning direction. The photosensitive material is two-dimensionally exposed by scanning exposure (printing) with a light beam deflected in the same manner. For this reason, depending on the width of the photosensitive material, it is uniquely determined whether the main scanning direction of exposure is the longitudinal direction of the set print size or the lateral direction.
[0037]
On the other hand, in the input device 12, the directions of the strips A set on the film carrier 32 and the slide B set on the slide carrier 34 are fixed, and the original image area read by the image sensor 30 is to be made as large as possible. For example, the direction of the film document, that is, the shape of the document image, and hence the shape of the carrier mask (for example, particularly the aspect ratio) is uniquely determined. For this reason, one line of the document image read by the input device 12 may not match one line in the main scanning direction of the image output device 16. As a result, the image rotation control means 82 processes the image signal and rotates the image (image area) by 90 ° before the image signal stored in the frame memory 91 is exposed at least by the image output device 16. In other words, the line direction of the output image can be changed by rearranging the pixels or changing the access order of the frame memory addresses based on the conversion formula.WhenIt is necessary to match the line direction of exposure.
[0038]
Further, the control unit 70 is provided with a positive / negative conversion circuit 84 that performs positive / negative inversion on the image data subjected to predetermined signal processing by the signal processing device 72. In the case where the strip A or the slide B is a reversal film, the image information subjected to predetermined image processing is converted before being output to the image output device 16 and is output as a negative image (or vice versa). It is. The method of positive-to-negative conversion or negative-to-positive conversion is not particularly limited, and a known conversion method (image processing method) may be used.
In the present invention, whether the strip A or the slide B is a negative film or a reversal film is stored in the memory 78 by the carrier ID code transmitted from the carrier ID determination means 31 when the carrier is loaded. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be input by an operator.
[0039]
By the way, as is well known, in various conventional printers, a press that roughly reads a document image for setting image processing conditions and the like is usually set prior to precise reading (main (main) scanning) for image output. Can is done. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the frame memory 91 of the signal processing device 72 shown in FIG. 4 includes a pre-scan frame memory 91a and a main-scan frame memory 91b configured as a toggle memory. . The image processing apparatus 74 used in the present invention converts the image signal of the film original stored in the frame memories 91a and 91b, for example, the image signals of the three primary colors R, G, and B of one image. Necessary image processing is performed.
[0040]
As shown in FIG. 5, the image processing device 74 performs image processing on a prescan image signal stored in the prescan frame memory 91a for display on the monitor 18, for example, a G color image signal. Cut out image signals of pixels in the cut-out pixel area (number of pixels) determined by the method of the present invention from the main scan image signal stored in the main scan frame memory 91b for output to the processing circuit 92 and the image output device 16. Then, image processing for appropriate printing is performed, LPF (low-pass filter) processing for dodging processing is performed, and a cut-out image area (number of pixels) is enlarged / reduced according to the electronic magnification determined by the method of the present invention ( Scaled) and processed further imagesTheDesired input by a recording image processing circuit 94 that performs USM (unsharpness mask) processing for sharpening to be an output image signal, a pre-scan image signal, a main subject that is set as necessary, and an operator And a CPU 98 constituting image processing condition setting means 96 for setting the image processing conditions of the main scan image signal in the recording image processing circuit 94.
[0041]
In the illustrated example, an image is read by the input device 12 and processed by the control device 14, but the present invention can also store a storage device 20, such as a server, HD, MO, and FD. The image signal stored in the medium may be read into the frame memory 91 of the control device 14 and the same processing as described above may be performed. Conversely, the image signal stored in the frame memory 91 is stored in the storage device 20. And may be used for later use.
[0042]
Next, the image output device 16 receives the image signal from the control device 14 and modulates the light for red (R) exposure, green (G) exposure, and blue (B) exposure modulated by the image signal in the light beam scanning device. Two-dimensional scanning exposure is performed by deflecting the beam in the main scanning direction and pulling out the long photosensitive material wound in a roll form from the magazine by the transport device and transporting it in the sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction. The exposed photosensitive material P is subjected to color development, bleach-fixing, washing with water in a developing device, dried with a drying device, cut into frames with a discharging device, and output as a print.
[0043]
Incidentally, the digital printing apparatus 10 of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 can set a plurality of sizes of film originals to be subjects (processing objects) and output print sizes, that is, in the memory 78 of the control apparatus 14 shown in FIG. A plurality of settings can be set via the CPU 76 and can be arbitrarily combined.
The film document has a dedicated carrier (see the film carrier 32 in FIG. 2 and the slide carrier 34 in FIG. 3) for each size and type, and is detachable from the carrier base 26 of the image input apparatus 12 shown in FIG. It has become. When a carrier, for example, a film carrier 32 is mounted on the carrier base 26 as shown in FIG. 2, the carrier ID code of the film carrier 32 is transmitted to the CPU 76 and recognized. At the same time, the magazine ID code of the magazine loaded in the transport device is transmitted from the image output machine 16 to the CPU 76 and recognized. The memory 78 of the control device 14 stores mask dimension information of the film document, width information of the photosensitive material, and the like, but these information cannot be rewritten by the user.
[0044]
On the other hand, a plurality of print sizes to be output are set in the memory 78 at the time of shipment from the factory. The print sizes registered in the memory 78 are displayed as a list of print sizes on the screen of the monitor 18 via the CPU 76. The user selects a desired print size displayed on the screen of the monitor 18 using a data input device such as a keyboard 22a or a mouse 22b. If the desired print size is not registered, the user can newly register or modify the print size using the keyboard 22a or the like, and can rewrite the contents of the memory 78.
In the digital printing apparatus 10 shown in the drawing, the standard optical magnification that is uniquely determined only by the carrier ID code is stored in the memory 78 at the time of shipment from the factory.
[0045]
Here, in the digital printing apparatus 10, when the carrier ID code and the magazine ID code are acquired and the output print size is selected, the CPU 76 automatically calculates the magnification, and the zoom lens setting optical magnification and the electronic enlargement / reduction magnification are set. Is set. That is, first, the standard optical magnification specific to the carrier ID code is automatically set from the memory 78 as the zoom lens setting optical magnification.
In the illustrated example of the digital printing apparatus 10, during pre-scanning, image signals captured from all the pixels in the effective pixel area (for example, 1380 pixels × 920 pixels) of the image sensor 30 onto which the image carried on the film document is projected. Is taken into the frame memory 91 (pre-scan frame memory 91a) of the signal processing device 72 of the control device 14, thinned out, and displayed on the monitor 18 (for example, 345 pixels × 230 pixels).
[0046]
On the other hand, also in the case of the main (fine) scan, the image signals of all the pixels in the effective pixel area of the image sensor 30 are similarly read. However, since the film document has a plurality of sizes, and therefore has a plurality of mask sizes, which are different from each other, the projection images of the mask images of all the film documents (document images in the opening area of the mask) are displayed on the image sensor 30. It is not projected onto the entire effective pixel area, but is generally projected inside. For this reason, it is necessary to extract the image signal of the pixels only in the mask image area as the image signal of the pixels of the input pixel area used for reproduction for printing from the image signals of all the pixels of the read effective pixel area. Therefore, in the present invention, the image signals of the pixels on the edges of the film original and the mask can be surely removed even in consideration of the deviation of the optical axis, the magnification error, and the stop position error of the film original. The image signal of as many pixels as possible in the opening area can be surely taken out and can be taken into the frame memory 91 (91b) as the image signal of the pixel in the input pixel area. The size (number of pixels) of the input pixel area is set with respect to the size (number of pixels). Note that the main scan frame memory 91b may be configured to capture image signals of all pixels in the effective pixel region of the image sensor 30 and read out only image signals of pixels in the input pixel region.
[0047]
On the other hand, also in the optical system of the input device 12, the projected image of the mask image of the film original has a sufficient margin so that the standard optical magnification sufficiently satisfies the above relationship. It is set to enter inside. Therefore, the standard optical magnification is such that when the mask image of the film original is reliably projected onto the effective pixel area of the image sensor 30 and output as a print of a desired print size, the edge of the film original appears, the edge of the mask, etc. Is an optical magnification that ensures that the effective pixel area of the image sensor 30 is highly utilized and a high-definition image quality can be ensured. By the way, when the zoom lens unit 62 is actually set to this standard optical magnification, the CPU 76 sets the zoom lens unit 62 from the magnification-pulse table stored in the memory 78 to the position where the set optical magnification is obtained. In order to obtain the amount of movement from the home position (origin) necessary for moving the zoom lens group 66, the number of pulses from the origin applied to the magnification adjustment motor 63 is read out, and the magnification adjustment motor 63 corresponds to the number of pulses. When driven, the zoom lens group 66 is moved and stopped at a position where the standard optical magnification is obtained.
[0048]
Next, the CPU 76 uses various setting values set in advance at the time of shipment from the factory, for example, depending on the output print size, the margin of output image such as the meandering of the photosensitive material of the image output machine 16 and the recording length error. In consideration of the amount and pixel loss (deletion) in the image processing device 74, a desired output pixel density (for example, 300 dpi) is obtained from an image signal of a pixel in the input pixel region (for example, 1340 pixels × 920 pixels). Calculation of an electronic scaling factor (for example, 120%) for generating an image signal of a pixel in an output pixel area (for example, 1531 pixels × 1082 pixels) necessary for outputting a print of a print size (for example, 127 mm × 89 mm) In consideration of injury, the image signal of the pixel is read into the signal processing device 72 and the frame memory 91 (91a, 91 if necessary). The pixel area (for example, 1292 pixels × 918 pixels) to be cut out from the effective pixel area of the image sensor 30 captured by the image sensor 30 is determined, and the finished print area (for example, 323 pixels × 229) is displayed on the monitor (for example, 345 pixels × 230 pixels) 18. Pixel) as a reference line.
[0049]
In the illustrated digital printing apparatus 10, the image of the finished print area within the reference line displayed on the monitor 18 in this way is output from the image output device 16 as it is. However, trimming can be performed when it is desired to adjust the original image reproduction area on the print, that is, the amount of the original image in the print reproduction image. This trimming operation may be performed by the user specifying the optical magnification directly or by specifying the start and stop of zooming by the magnification adjustment motor 63. In this case, the actually set magnification is displayed on the monitor 18. It is good to be done. After the designation, the user confirms the image in the predetermined trimming area by using the image of the image sensor 30 displayed on the monitor 18 that has returned to the print screen and the reference line indicating the finished print area, that is, the trimming area. When the desired trimmed image is not obtained, the user can repeat the trimming work by adjusting the optical magnification until the desired trimmed image is obtained.
In the present invention, the reference line displayed on the monitor 18 sufficiently considers the image shift that occurs until the original image read by the image sensor 30 is reproduced on the print. Since there is almost no deviation from the printed reproduced image, it is sufficient to check the trimmed image on the monitor 18, but it is needless to say that the trimming operation may be performed while actually outputting the print.
[0050]
By the way, when a desired trimmed image is obtained and reproduced on the print and the trimming operation is completed, the predetermined adjusted optical magnification set for adjusting the original image reproduction area on the print is determined in advance. It returns to the standard optical magnification set uniquely for the digital printing apparatus of the present invention. For this reason, when it is desired to adjust the original image reproduction area on the print for all the original images for one type of film original, for example, one reversal film, the trimming operation can be performed one by one. As with analog printers, as described above, it is extremely troublesome to do everything.
On the other hand, in the digital printing apparatus of the present invention, the original image reproduction area on the print can be constantly set as a predetermined area according to the user's preference. A correction coefficient can be set for the magnification. This correction coefficient becomes the adjustment amount of the standard optical magnification, that is, the fine adjustment value of the magnification.
[0051]
The digital printing apparatus of the present invention is basically configured as described above. Hereinafter, the digital printing method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
First, as shown in FIG. 6, the image input device 12 is loaded with a carrier for holding a film document for which the original image reproduction area on the print is to be set to a predetermined area. It is assumed that the carrier ID code is read and recognized as reading means, and the standard optical magnification corresponding to the carrier ID code is read from the memory 78 as the reading optical magnification T1, and functions as the selection means.
[0052]
Here, when the user selects the magnification adjustment mode from the menu, a list of carriers and print sizes is displayed on the monitor 18. Here, the user selects a combination of a target carrier (whose carrier ID code is recognized) and a print size by the data input device 22, and an adjustment amount, that is, a fine adjustment value T2 for the combination. Enter a numerical value. The magnification fine adjustment value T2 is set (stored) as a default at the time of shipment from the factory, but the user can input a numerical value in the range of 50% to 150%. When the numerical value of the magnification fine adjustment value T2 is input by the user, the stored value in the memory 78 of the magnification fine adjustment value T2 corresponding to the combination of the ID code of the carrier and the print size is updated.
Next, the CPU 76 calculates the actual optical magnification T3 that is actually set from the reading optical magnification T1 and the fine magnification adjustment value T2 in accordance with the following equation as an adjustment optical magnification calculation means for adjusting the optical magnification of the zoom lens unit 62. To do.
T3 = T1 × T2 / 100
[0053]
Next, the CPU 76 refers to the magnification-pulse table in the memory 78 as a means for calculating the movement amount of the zoom lens group 66, and sets the zoom lens group 66 to the origin (home position) from the actual optical magnification T3 calculated by the above formula. ) To a scanner control value P1 expressed by the number of pulses applied to the magnification adjustment motor 63 for movement. Since this magnification-pulse table is set as a design value, all devices are the same, but there are always machine differences due to component errors, assembly errors, adjustment errors, etc. A magnification calibration correction pulse P2 unique to the apparatus for actually adjusting the difference to the actual optical magnification T3 is read from the memory 78, and an actual scanner control value P3 represented by the number of pulses actually applied to the magnification adjustment motor 63 is obtained. Obtained from the following formula. The magnification calibration correction pulse P2 is an adjustment parameter for adjusting the machine difference at the time of shipment from the factory.
P3 = P1 + P2
[0054]
The magnification adjustment motor 63 is driven by the actual scanner control value P3 obtained in this way, the zoom lens group 66 is moved, and the optical magnification of the zoom lens unit 62 is set to the actual optical magnification T3. On the other hand, after that, the display screen of the monitor 18 returns to the print screen, the film original image is read by the image sensor 30 in the image input device 12, and the pre-scan image is displayed on the monitor 18. The user compares the original image display area thus displayed on the monitor 18 with the reference line indicating the finished print area, or actually outputs the read main scan image as a print from the image output device 16 and prints it. The state of adjustment of the upper document image reproduction area is visually confirmed, and if necessary, the process is repeated until a desired document image reproduction area is obtained on a desired print.
[0055]
Here, in the present invention, the reference line displayed on the monitor 18 sufficiently considers the image shift that occurs until the original image read by the image sensor 30 is reproduced on the print. Since there is no deviation in the range between the image in the finished print area indicated by the reference line and the actually reproduced image, the adjustment state after actually outputting the print even when checking the adjustment state on the monitor 18 Of course, it is also possible to confirm this.
It should be noted that an original that can be measured such as a scale is used as a film document, and the scale or the like is displayed on the monitor 18 or an actual print is output, and the displayed or output scale is measured to obtain a magnification. The fine adjustment value T2 can also be obtained by calculation.
[0056]
In this way, the digital printing apparatus 10 obtains the magnification fine adjustment value T2 of the inherent standard optical magnification T1 for obtaining the original image reproduction area desired by the user on the print corresponding to the combination of the carrier type (film original size) and the print size. Can be set as default. Therefore, when the same combination is selected, the specific magnification fine adjustment value T2 stored in the memory 78 is read out, so that the original image reproduction area on the same print desired by the user can be obtained. By the way, when it is desired to return to the factory-set state, the stored value in the memory 78 can be easily restored by resetting the magnification fine adjustment value T2 to 100%.
[0057]
The method for adjusting the optical magnification of the digital printing method of the present invention is basically configured as described above. The operation of the digital printing apparatus of the present invention will be described below.
First, when the digital printing apparatus 10 is turned on, the CP of the control apparatus 14U76 automatically acquires information on the carrier and the photosensitive material. Here, the operator visually confirms or confirms the carrier information and the photosensitive material information displayed on the screen of the monitor 18 and, if necessary, the carrier and the magazine.TheExchange. When exchanged, the CPU 76 obtains a new carrier or magazine ID code and changes the monitor display. Further, the operator inputs the print size. Subsequently, in the digital printing apparatus 10, when a specific magnification fine adjustment value is set by the digital printing method of the present invention, a magnification such as an optical magnification or an electronic enlargement / reduction magnification is automatically set based on the specific magnification fine adjustment value. The zoom lens unit 62 is set to the set specific optical magnification.
[0058]
Next, when it is confirmed that the digital printing apparatus is in a predetermined rising state, such as the amount of light from the light source unit 24 of the input device 12, the operator reads the first image taken on the strip A in the reading position. Strips A to film carrier to be Z32To load. Here, when an instruction to start reading is issued, the input device 12 first starts pre-scanning.
When the pre-scan is started, the light, which is inserted into the optical path L by the light source unit 24 and adjusted by the G filter of the color filter 38, for example, passes through the strips A and is projected as a projected image of the original image by the lens unit 62. The image is formed in the effective pixel area of the image sensor 30 at the optical magnification set by the method of the present invention, the G original image is read, sent to the control device 14, and subjected to predetermined signal processing by the signal processing device 72. And stored in the prescan frame memory 91a. Next, in the same manner, for example, a B image and then an R image are read and sequentially stored in the frame memory 91a, and the prescan ends.
[0059]
At the same time, in the control device 14, the prescan G image is read from the frame memory 91 a by the image processing device 74, processed by the display image processing circuit 92, and displayed on the monitor 18 together with the reference line indicating the finished print area. The The original image displayed on the monitor 18 is used to set the main subject, and the image processing condition setting means 96 sets the image processing conditions according to the obtained image information, the main subject, etc. In the unit 70, the diaphragm 36 is adjusted.
In the control unit 70, the automatic focus adjustment of the zoom lens unit 62 by the automatic focus adjustment unit 80 is performed using the pre-scanned image signal processed by the signal processing device 72.
Thereafter, when the main scan is started, the G image, the B image, and the R image of the film document are sequentially read and sent to the control device 14 and processed by the signal processing device 72 as in the pre-scan. Thereafter, it is stored in the main scan frame memory 91b. Subsequently, in the image processing device 74, the image signal of the pixel in the cut-out pixel area determined by the electronic enlargement / reduction magnification is read from the frame memory 91b, and the recording image processing circuit 94Then, image processing such as LPF, enlargement / reduction (electronic scaling), USM, etc. is performed. If necessary, the image rotation control means 82 rotates the image by 90 degrees and the negative / positive conversion means 84 performs negative / positive inversion. Thus, the image signal in the transmission output pixel area (number of pixels) is transmitted to the image output device 16.
[0060]
On the other hand, in the image output device 16, the photosensitive material P drawn from the magazine is conveyed to the image position information forming unit, and after the frame information is formed, it is conveyed to the exposure unit. In the exposure unit, the light beam is modulated by the image signal transferred from the control device by the light beam scanning device, the modulated light beam is deflected in the main scanning direction, and the photosensitive material P transported in the sub-scanning is scanned and exposed. Thus, a latent image is formed.
The photosensitive material P on which the latent image is formed is conveyed to the back print unit, information such as film photographing date is back printed, is stored in the reservoir, and is conveyed from the discharge unit to the developing device. The photosensitive material P transported to the developing device is developed by being sequentially subjected to color development, bleach-fixing, and water washing in each tank while being transported at a predetermined speed, and is dried by a drying device, and discharged. In this cutting section, each print is cut according to the frame information to be a finished print, and is stored in the sorter according to the sort information.
[0061]
Although the digital printing method and apparatus of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Of course.
[0062]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to finely adjust the displacement of the film original image according to the user's preference, that is, the film original image reproduction area on the print can be changed between the film original and the print. It can be adjusted according to the combination of sizes, it can be changed from the standard optical magnification inherent to the device to the optical magnification setting value to enable this adjustment, and it can be changed to the original state before the change. It can be easily returned.
In addition, according to the present invention, a finished print area in which image erasure that occurs after reading a film manuscript image, such as image bleed on an image output device or pixel defect on an image processing apparatus, is included together with a film manuscript image. Can be displayed on the display device as a reference line, and there is no image shift between the display image within the reference line and the reproduction image of the print, so the reference line indicating the finished print area displayed on the display device In addition, it is possible to easily and accurately confirm the original image reproduction area on the print, and the adjustment work can be performed very easily and accurately.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a digital printing apparatus of the present invention that implements a digital printing method according to the present invention.
2 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of an image input apparatus of the digital printing apparatus shown in FIG.
3 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a slide carrier used in the image input device shown in FIG. 2. FIG.
4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a control device of the digital printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
5 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an image processing device of the control device shown in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a digital printing method according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Digital printing device
12 Image input device
14 Control device
16 Image output machine
18 Display device (monitor)
20 storage devices
22 Data input device
24 Light source
26 CarryAbase
28 Imaging unit
30 Image sensor (CCD)
32 film carrier
34 Slide carrier
62 Zoom lens unit
70 Control unit
72 Signal processor
74 Image processing device
75 Setting optical magnification adjusting means
76 CPU
78 memory
91, 91a, 91b Frame memory
92 Image processing for displaycircuit
94 Image processing for recordingcircuit

Claims (4)

From a plurality of film originals of different film sizes and types, the image carried on the film original is projected by a zoom lens, photoelectrically read by an image sensor, digital image processing is performed, and based on the obtained digital image signal, A digital printing method in which a photosensitive material is exposed and developed to obtain a print having a reproduced image of an arbitrary print size,
When a carrier ID code is read from a carrier dedicated to the film original that holds the film original at a reading position, and the set optical magnification of the zoom lens is set for the read carrier ID code,
The set optical magnification of the zoom lens is determined from a standard optical magnification set in advance for the carrier ID code, and the standard optical magnification is set in accordance with a combination of the carrier ID code and the print size on which the reproduced image is to be printed. A digital printing method, wherein the adjusted optical magnification is set. The digital printing method according to claim 1, wherein an adjustment amount of the standard optical magnification for obtaining the adjustment optical magnification is 50% to 150%. The adjustment optical magnification is set by obtaining the movement amount of the zoom lens according to the actual optical magnification obtained by adjusting the standard optical magnification from a predetermined relationship, and moving the zoom lens by this movement amount. And reading the image carried on the film document, performing image processing, exposure and development to obtain a print having a set print size until the reproduction image having a desired size with respect to the print size is obtained. 3. The digital printing method according to 1 or 2. A film carrier prepared for each different film size and holding a film original in a reading position, a zoom lens for projecting a supported image of the film original, a moving means for the zoom lens, and a projected supported image photoelectrically An image sensor to be read, an image processing means for digital image processing of an image signal read by the image sensor, and a photosensitive material is exposed and developed on the basis of the digital image signal obtained by the image processing means to be arbitrarily processed An image output means for obtaining a print having a reproduced image of a print size of
Means for reading a carrier ID code from a carrier dedicated to the film original holding the film original at a reading position; and means for selecting a standard optical magnification of the zoom lens preset for the read carrier ID code; Adjusting the selected standard optical magnification according to the combination of the carrier ID code and the print size on which the reproduced image is to be printed, and calculating the adjustment optical magnification; and the zoom lens corresponding to the adjustment optical magnification And a means for calculating the amount of movement of the digital printing apparatus.

Images