JP5022764B2 - Data processing apparatus and data processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technique for discriminating which medium prepared by a user corresponds to any medium prepared by a user.

  An image forming apparatus that forms an image based on image data transfers or discharges CMYK or special color toner or ink onto an output medium to form an image.

  In order to execute this image formation with high accuracy, a manufacturer usually creates a profile that matches the paper / printing mode and the like, and the print control software uses it to print.

  In the case of such an image forming apparatus, the density or the like of the output result changes because it differs from the environment in which the profile is created due to changes in the usage environment, variations in the ink ejection amount, and other changes over time.

  In order to improve such a situation, a patch is printed on a specific sheet, and the result of printing the patch is measured using a densitometer, a spectrophotometer, etc., and the amount of change in the density of the output result is estimated. . This requires a series of calibration operations such as creating correction data.

  In general, there are a lot of papers that users use, so that the manufacturer creates a profile for each category of paper that is supposed to be used, so that the user can use any paper. Many papers are supported.

  However, the paper used by the user may not always match the paper assumed by the manufacturer.

In this case, the printing apparatus prints a patch on user paper, and reads the print of the patch with a scanner or the like. Further, an invention is known in which a characteristic based on the difference between the read density gradation characteristic and the density gradation characteristic for standard media is set as a target gradation characteristic and applied at the time of printing user media (for example, a patent) Reference 1).
JP-A-2005-303701

  The above-described conventional example is a method in which calibration for a user-specified paper is performed effectively. However, when regenerating a profile, when selecting a paper as a base, the paper assumed by the manufacturer is used. It is not always the case.

  Therefore, in the above conventional example, there is a problem that many users cannot determine which media should be selected as the base media from among the enormous amounts of supported media.

An object of the present invention is to provide a data processing apparatus and a data processing method capable of suitably and easily calibrating various print media that can be selected by a user.

The data processing apparatus of the present invention includes a storage unit that stores spectral characteristic data for each type of printing medium on which an image is printed by a printing apparatus, and an acquisition unit that acquires spectral characteristic data that is a result of measuring the spectral characteristic of the printing medium. And the spectral characteristic data acquired by the acquisition unit and the spectral characteristic data stored in the storage unit, and the print medium corresponding to the spectral characteristic data approximated to the spectral characteristic data acquired by the acquisition unit Identifying means for identifying the type, display control means for displaying on the display device information indicating the type of print medium identified by the identifying means, and the type of print medium displayed on the display device by the display control means A profile corresponding to the type of print medium designated from the information indicating the And having a determination means for determining a profile for the calibration.

According to the present invention, when a user uses an arbitrary print medium , it is possible to easily select a corresponding print medium type from among a large number of print medium types during calibration .

  The best mode for carrying out the invention is the following embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of devices and software showing an image processing system 100 that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  The image processing system 100 includes a PC 1, a printer driver 2, calibration software 3, an I / F unit 4, a paper white spectral characteristic table 5, a network 6, a printing device 7, and a spectrophotometer 8. Have.

  The PC 1 and the printing apparatus 7 are connected via a network 6 such as a local connection such as USB or a LAN cable.

  The PC 1 stores a printer driver 2 that can process and transmit image data so that the printing apparatus 7 can interpret the image data, and has a user interface for setting paper, print quality, and various settings.

  Further, the PC 1 stores calibration software for executing calibration of the connected printing apparatus 7, and the printer driver 2 may use the regenerated profile after performing calibration.

  Further, the PC 1 stores the characteristic data obtained by measuring the white paper portion corresponding to the type of paper with the spectrophotometer 8 and stores it in a form usable by the printer driver 2 and the calibration software 3.

  The printer driver 2 and the calibration software 3 transmit print data to the printing device 7 through the I / F unit 4 and acquire measurement data from the printing device 7.

  Further, the PC 1 holds a characteristic data file (paper white spectral characteristic table 5) having the number of paper white spectral characteristics. The printer driver 2 and the calibration software 3 can use this paper white spectral characteristic table 5.

  The printing apparatus 7 is equipped with a spectrophotometer 8, or as a separate device, the spectrophotometer 8 is connected. When the spectrophotometer 8 is installed in the printing apparatus 7, data measured by the spectrophotometer 8 is taken into the PC 1 through the printing apparatus 7. When the spectrophotometer 8 is connected to the printing apparatus 7 as a separate device, the spectrophotometer 8 and the PC 1 may be connected in some form of connection, and the measurement data directly from the spectrophotometer 8 to the PC 1 may be obtained. May be captured.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the contents of the paper white spectral characteristic table 5.

  The contents of the paper white spectral characteristic table 5 are information on all sheets assumed by the manufacturer, and are displayed when the base sheet is selected at the time of calibration, and also when the sheet is selected by the printer driver. Paper.

With respect to these sheets, spectral characteristic data of the white portion of all sheets is measured and acquired in advance by a manufacturer operator using a spectrophotometer. Then, the obtained spectral characteristic data of the paper white portion of all sheets is tabulated in the paper white spectral characteristic table 5. The paper white spectral characteristic table 5 is stored in a storage unit (not shown) in the PC or a storage unit (not shown) in the printing apparatus.

  The content of the white paper spectral characteristic table 5 is a table in which spectral reflectance values in the visible light range are measured, and values in a certain wavelength unit, maximum value, minimum value, average value, paper, and paper category are associated with each other. It has become.

  3, 4, and 5 are diagrams showing distributions of values in units of paper categories in the spectral characteristic data shown in FIG. 2.

  3 shows a distribution of values in units of coated paper categories, FIG. 4 shows a distribution of values in units of plain paper categories, and FIG. 5 shows a distribution of values in units of photo paper categories.

  The horizontal axis of FIGS. 3-5 shows the wavelength (nanometer) of the light within the visible light range, and the vertical axis shows the spectral reflectance (when the applied light returns 100%, it becomes 1). Show.

  The characteristics of each paper in the category and the characteristics of each paper category are converted into data.

  From this data, the one closest to the spectral characteristic data of the user's arbitrary paper is derived.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of selecting a calibration base sheet when a user-specified sheet is used in the first embodiment.

  The user's arbitrary paper to be used is equipped with the printing device 7 or the spectrophotometer 8 connected to the PC 1 measures the spectral characteristics of the white paper portion (S1).

  The measurement result is acquired by the calibration software 3 or the print control software in the PC 1 (S2), and the acquired data is compared with the paper white spectral characteristic table shown in FIG. 2 (S3).

  When this comparison is performed, each value is compared for each wavelength to determine whether or not the entire distribution curve is close. Further, Max, Minimum, and Average may be compared to determine whether or not they are close.

  As a result of the comparison, one or more of the paper white spectral characteristic tables having a similar value are picked up (S4).

  Even when there are a plurality of candidates, they may be ordered from the closest one and displayed from the top in order from the closest one on the base paper selection screen of the calibration software 3. In this case, the top one is the default (in a focused state) (S5).

  In addition, there is a method in which when there are a plurality of candidates, a plurality of sheets are collectively displayed as a base sheet and presented to the user. In this case, since the paper is narrowed down and displayed, it is easier to select than selecting from all the paper.

  When the closest paper is selected and the operation proceeds forward with the OK button or the like, the base paper is determined (S6).

  By determining the base sheet, the target profile is also determined (S7).

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating another operation of selecting a calibration base sheet when a user-specified sheet is used in the first embodiment.

  The operation shown in FIG. 7 is basically the same as the flow of the operation shown in FIG. 6 except that the printer driver 2 selects the paper when the user uses arbitrary paper.

  S10 to S14 are the same as the operations shown in FIG. 6, but in S15, the paper used by the printer driver 2 is determined instead of determining the base paper, and the profile used in the printer driver 2 is determined in S16.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation of determining a paper and a use profile, but not only that, but also determining mechanical parameters dependent on the paper.

  That is, after the sheet is determined (S20), the usage profile is determined (S21), and the mechanical parameters dependent on the sheet are determined (S22). The “mechanical parameter” is, for example, the value of “paper thickness” determined for each paper, the speed when cutting roll paper with a cutter, the amount of paper fed during printing, and the like.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the accuracy of the paper information to be used is higher.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an image of a screen for selecting a sheet in S4 or S13 in the above embodiment.

  In the example shown in FIG. 9, it is shown that the spectral characteristic data of the user-specified paper is closest to the spectral characteristic data of glossy paper A, and the spectral characteristic data of the second closest paper is glossy paper B. The spectral characteristic data of the second closest paper is semi-glossy paper A.

  The closest glossy paper A is positioned at the top of the selection order, and the paper displayed here and the arrangement order thereof are different each time the user-specified paper (spectral characteristic data of the white paper portion) changes.

  According to the above-described embodiment, when the user uses an arbitrary sheet, it is easy to select a huge number of base sheets at the time of calibration.

  In addition, according to the above-described embodiment, when a user-specified sheet is used, when selecting a sheet on the UI of print control software such as the printer driver 2, it is possible to assist which sheet should be selected. .

  In the above-described embodiment, a paper white portion of paper assumed by the manufacturer is measured using the spectrophotometer 8 attached to the printing apparatus 7 or connected through some medium, and a table in which the paper and the characteristic data are associated with each other. Data. The data can be used from the calibration software 3 or the print control software in the PC 1.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the white paper portion of the user arbitrary paper is measured by the spectrophotometer in the calibration of the paper arbitrary for the user. Then, means for obtaining the characteristics of the paper white portion of the paper, picking up the closest paper or the same category from the spectral characteristic data of a plurality of papers prepared in advance, and making it a target candidate paper at the time of calibration Have

  The above embodiment has a spectrophotometer connected to a PC or printing device. In the above embodiment, the table holds the table data in which the paper white portion of the paper assumed by the manufacturer in advance is measured using the spectrophotometer and the paper is associated with the paper in the PC or the printing apparatus. It has data holding means.

  In this case, the calibration software or the print control software in the PC has means that can use the table data.

  Further, in the above embodiment, in the image processing system in which the printing apparatus prints an arbitrary user sheet different from the standard sheet, the spectrophotometer and the white portion of the user arbitrary sheet are measured by the spectrophotometer. And characteristic acquisition means for obtaining characteristic data of the paper white portion of the paper. Further, the embodiment compares the spectral characteristic data of the paper white portion of the paper arbitrary for the user with the spectral characteristic data obtained by measuring the paper white portion of the paper assumed by the manufacturer in advance using the spectrophotometer. It has a comparison means. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the spectral characteristic data of the paper white portion of the paper arbitrary by the user is any of the plurality of spectral characteristic data obtained by measuring the paper white portion of the paper assumed by the manufacturer in advance using the spectrophotometer. This is an image processing system having search means for searching for closeness to paper data.

  In this case, one or more papers closest to the user's arbitrary paper should be presented, or the same paper category should be presented from the standard papers and selected by the target candidate paper at the time of calibration or the print control software Display means for displaying candidate sheets.

Moreover, the said Example can be grasped | ascertained as invention of a method. In other words, the above embodiment creates table data in which the paper white portion of the paper assumed by the manufacturer is measured using a spectrophotometer connected to a PC or printing apparatus and the paper is associated with the paper. A table data creation step. Further, the above embodiment is a control method of an image processing system having a table data holding process for holding the table data in a PC or a printing apparatus.

1 is a configuration diagram of devices and software showing an image processing system 100 that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. It is a figure which shows the content of the paper white spectral characteristics table. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a distribution of values in units of paper categories in the spectral characteristic data shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a distribution of values in units of paper categories in the spectral characteristic data shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a distribution of values in units of paper categories in the spectral characteristic data shown in FIG. 2. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of selecting a calibration base sheet when a user-specified sheet is used in the first embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another operation of selecting a calibration base sheet when a user-specified sheet is used in the first embodiment. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation of determining a mechanical parameter dependent on a sheet at the same time, although a sheet is confirmed and a use profile is confirmed. It is a figure which shows the image of the screen which selects a paper by S4 or S13 in the said Example.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... PC
2 ... Printer driver,
3 ... Calibration software,
4 ... I / F part in PC1,
5. Paper white spectral characteristics table for all papers,
6 ... Network,
7: Printing device,
8: Spectrophotometer.

Claims (5)

Storage means for storing spectral characteristic data for each type of print medium on which an image is printed by a printing apparatus;
Acquisition means for acquiring spectral characteristic data that is a result of measuring the spectral characteristics of the print medium;
The spectral characteristic data acquired by the acquisition unit and the spectral characteristic data stored in the storage unit are compared, and the type of print medium corresponding to the spectral characteristic data approximated to the spectral characteristic data acquired by the acquisition unit is determined. Identification means to identify;
Display control means for causing the display device to display information indicating the type of the print medium specified by the specifying means;
The profile corresponding to the type of the print medium designated from the information indicating the type of the print medium displayed on the display device by the display control unit is used for the print medium whose spectral characteristic data is acquired by the acquisition unit. A determination means for determining a profile for calibration;
A data processing apparatus comprising: The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires spectral characteristic data measured using a spectrophotometer connected to the printing apparatus.   The specifying unit specifies a plurality of types of print media, and the determining unit displays information indicating the types of the plurality of print media specified by the specifying unit on the display device by the display control unit. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a profile corresponding to a type of a print medium designated by a user is determined as a calibration profile.   The display control unit approximates the plurality of print medium types specified by the specifying unit to the spectral specification data of each print medium type stored in the storage unit and the spectral characteristic data acquired by the acquisition unit. The data processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the data is displayed on the display device in the order in which the data is displayed. Obtain spectral characteristic data that is the result of measuring the spectral characteristics of the print medium,
The acquired spectral characteristic data is compared with the spectral characteristic data stored in the storage unit storing the spectral characteristic data for each type of print medium on which an image is printed by a printing apparatus, and approximated to the acquired spectral characteristic data Identify the type of print media that corresponds to the spectral data
Information indicating the type of the specified print medium is displayed on a display device;
A profile corresponding to the type of print medium designated from the information indicating the type of print medium displayed on the display device is determined as a profile for calibration using the print medium from which the spectral characteristic data has been acquired. A data processing method.

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