JP5463806B2 - Image processing method and printing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing method and a printing apparatus.

  When a printed image is formed on a lenticular lens in which a large number of cylindrical convex lenses (hereinafter referred to as convex lenses) are arranged in parallel, and the printed image is viewed through the convex lens, there are some that are stereoscopically viewed. In such a print image, predetermined image processing is performed on the image data corresponding to the left and right eyes to form stereoscopic image data. When printing is performed based on the image data, a stereoscopic print image is formed on the lens sheet.

  By the way, when halftone processing is performed on stereoscopic image data, each parallax image data (this image data is a striped print image for the right eye or a strip shape for the left eye when printing is executed). If the error is diffused to the printed image, the stereoscopic effect is impaired. Therefore, in Patent Document 1, an error is diffused along the length of the lens with respect to each parallax image data to obtain a good stereoscopic effect.

  In addition, when the position where the print image is formed on the lens sheet is not appropriate, so-called crosstalk occurs in which a pixel that should not be viewed is viewed. Therefore, in Patent Document 2, a blank image such as white is inserted between a strip-shaped print image for the left eye and a strip-shaped print image for the right eye. Thereby, the influence of crosstalk is reduced.

Japanese Patent No. 3420394 JP-A-11-95168

  In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it is not a method of creating image data considering the landing size of ink droplets. Therefore, the effect of so-called crosstalk occurs. That is, it is affected by the ink of the other parallax print image, and the image quality of the print image is insufficient. Further, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, when a white image is inserted until the influence of overlapping ink droplets as generated in Patent Document 1 does not occur, white streaks appear in the printed image and the impression is not good. . Further, in Patent Document 2, although the influence of crosstalk can be suppressed, since hue is not taken into consideration, the whole printed image tends to be whiter as a blank image such as white is inserted.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image processing method and a printing apparatus capable of reducing the influence of crosstalk while preventing the hue of a printed image from becoming white. It is intended to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the image processing method of the present invention is to form a parallax image based on a plurality of original image data on a lens sheet on which a plurality of lenses having one longitudinal direction are arranged. Image printing step for creating print data having an aggregated dot row and a blank dot row, and the gradation value of each pixel in the blank dot row is an ink drop of any color or type. Also, the gradation value of each pixel of the aggregated dot row is set to a value that does not cause the ejection of the original pixel before the formation of each pixel of the blank dot row. This is larger than the gradation value of the original pixel corresponding to each pixel.

  When configured in this way, the print data is in a state having an aggregated dot row and a blank dot row. The gradation value of each pixel in the blank dot row is set to a value that does not eject any color or type of ink droplet. For this reason, the resultant product obtained by printing on the lens sheet has a portion where ink droplets adhere in a row and a portion where ink does not adhere. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the influence of crosstalk in the result of printing on the lens sheet. In addition, the tone value of each pixel of the aggregated dot row is the original pixel corresponding to each pixel of the aggregated dot row by an amount that reflects the tone value of the original pixel before forming each pixel of the blank dot row. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the color tone of the printed image from becoming white in the printed result on the lens sheet.

  In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, in the above-described invention, a minimum print width corresponding to a diameter in consideration of bleeding when an ink droplet adheres to a lens sheet is measured, and the focal line width of the lens is smaller than the minimum print width. If the lens focal line width is determined to be smaller than the minimum print width or less than the minimum print width in the determination, the width orthogonal to the column direction formed by the aggregated dot column When the number of dots in the direction is determined to be 1 and it is determined in the determination that the focal line width of the lens is greater than or equal to the minimum print width or greater than the minimum print width, the direction is orthogonal to the row direction formed by the aggregated dot row The number of dots in the width direction may be determined so as to be an integer value obtained by dividing the focal line width of the lens by the minimum printing width, and then rounding off or rounding up after the decimal point.

  When configured in this way, the number of dots in the width direction in the aggregated dot row can be determined satisfactorily while suppressing the occurrence of crosstalk.

  Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, in the above-described invention, in the image composition step, print data is created by sequentially performing resolution conversion processing, image composition processing, color conversion processing, and halftone processing. In the color conversion process, the gradation value of the original pixel corresponding to the aggregation dot is reflected by the gradation value of each aggregation dot of the aggregation dot row by the amount that reflects the gradation value of the original pixel before the blank dot is formed. Alternatively, the color conversion process may be performed using an ink increase LUT for increasing the size.

  In such a configuration, since the ink conversion LUT is used to perform the color conversion process, it is possible to satisfactorily prevent the color tone of the printed image formed on the lens sheet from becoming white.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, in the above-described invention, after the halftone process is performed, an insertion process for inserting a predetermined number of blank dot rows between the aggregated dot rows may be performed.

  When configured in this way, a predetermined number of blank dot rows are reliably inserted between adjacent aggregated dot rows, so that the effect of crosstalk can be reduced even when a print image is formed on a lens sheet. Become.

  Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, in the above-described invention, the timing of ejecting ink droplets from the print head to the lens sheet is set so as to form the original pixel of the aggregated dot row and the original pixel of the blank dot row. You may make it perform the timing adjustment process delayed from the timing which ejects an ink drop by the part which has a blank dot row.

  When configured in this manner, the number of ink droplets attached in the width direction of the aggregated dot row and the predetermined number of blank dot rows is the same as when a predetermined number of blank dot rows are inserted between the aggregated dot rows, The influence of crosstalk can be reduced.

  In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, in the above-described invention, the speed of moving the print head with respect to the lens sheet is adjusted so that the ink droplets are formed to form the original pixel of the aggregated dot row and the original pixel of the blank dot row. You may make it perform the speed adjustment process which makes it faster by the part which a blank dot row exists than the speed which moves the printing head at the time of jetting.

  When configured in this manner, the number of ink droplets attached in the width direction of the aggregated dot row and the predetermined number of blank dot rows is the same as when a predetermined number of blank dot rows are inserted between the aggregated dot rows, The influence of crosstalk can be reduced.

  Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, in the above-described invention, when there is distance information regarding a part of each original image data, only the part of the part or the part of the part is included. Only the removed part may be subjected to the color conversion process and the insertion process.

  When configured in this way, by applying the present invention only to a part of the region where the influence of crosstalk is desired to be reduced, the visibility of the part of the printed image printed on the lens sheet is improved. It can be made higher than other parts.

  In addition, a printing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention may perform printing on a lens sheet by ejecting ink droplets onto the lens sheet based on the above-described image processing method.

  When configured in this way, the print data is in a state having an aggregated dot row and a blank dot row. The gradation value of each pixel in the blank dot row is set to a value that does not eject any color or type of ink droplet. For this reason, the resultant product obtained by printing on the lens sheet has a portion where ink droplets adhere in a row and a portion where ink does not adhere. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the influence of crosstalk in the result of printing on the lens sheet. In addition, the tone value of each pixel of the aggregated dot row is the original pixel corresponding to each pixel of the aggregated dot row by an amount that reflects the tone value of the original pixel before forming each pixel of the blank dot row. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the color tone of the printed image from becoming white in the printed result on the lens sheet.

It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the sheet guide and lens sheet of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which looked at the printer from back. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a control part. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a computer. It is a figure which shows the detail of the various programs which concern on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of performing color conversion processing using an ink increase LUT. It is a figure which shows the processing flow for determining the number of aggregation dots. It is a figure which shows the processing flow for determining the optimal number of parallax at the time of printing. It is a figure which shows the processing flow of the image processing which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the dither matrix which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the parallax dot row | line | column after a halftone process. It is a figure which shows the detail of the various programs which concern on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the processing flow of the image processing which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the dither matrix which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the detail of the various programs which concern on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the processing flow of the image process which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the dither matrix which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the detail of the various programs which concern on 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the processing flow of the image processing which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the dither matrix which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
The printing apparatus 11 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The printing apparatus 11 includes a printer 10 and a computer 130.

<About lens sheet>
First, the lens sheet LS that is a printing medium will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the lens sheet LS includes a lenticular lens LS1 located on the front surface, an ink absorption layer LS2 in contact with the back surface of the lenticular lens LS1, and an ink transmission layer LS3 located on the back surface of the lens sheet LS. It has. Among these, the lenticular lens LS1 has a configuration in which a plurality of cylindrical convex lenses (convex lens LS11; corresponding to the lens) whose longitudinal direction is one direction are arranged in parallel at a constant pitch. In the lenticular lens LS1, it is preferable that the curvature of the convex lens LS11 is formed so that the focal point of the light traveling through each convex lens LS11 is located on the back surface of the lenticular lens LS1.

  Further, the ink transmission layer LS3 is a portion to which an ink droplet ejected from a nozzle (not shown) first adheres, and is a portion through which the attached ink passes. The ink transmission layer LS3 is made of, for example, fine particles such as titanium oxide, silica gel, PMMA (methacrylic resin), barium sulfate, glass fiber, plastic fiber, or the like. The ink absorption layer LS2 is a part that absorbs and / or fixes the ink that has passed through the ink transmission layer LS3. The ink absorption layer LS2 is formed of, for example, a hydrophilic polymer resin such as PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), a cationic compound, or fine particles such as silica. The lenticular lens LS1 is made of PET, PETG, APET, PP, PS, PVC, acrylic, UV resin, or the like.

  The ink absorption layer LS2 is transparent, and the ink transmission layer LS3 is white. However, the ink absorption layer LS2 may be white, the ink transmission layer LS3 may be transparent, and both the ink transmission layer LS3 and the ink absorption layer LS2 may be transparent. In the present embodiment, the presence of the ink transmission layer LS3 allows the lens sheet LS to be touched immediately even after printing. However, the lens sheet LS may adopt a configuration that does not include the ink transmission layer LS3.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the lens sheet LS in the present embodiment has a rectangular appearance, and the edge of the lens sheet LS constituting the rectangular appearance is the convex lens LS11. It is parallel to the longitudinal direction. However, the edge of the lens sheet LS is not limited to being parallel to the longitudinal direction of the convex lens LS11. For example, the outer appearance of the lens sheet LS is circular, elliptical, other polygonal, or the edge of the lens sheet LS. May be an irregular shape composed of a plurality of straight lines and / or a plurality of curves.

<Overall Configuration of Printer 10>
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the printer 10, and is a perspective view of the printer 10 as viewed from the rear. In FIG. 2, the direction of the arrow X, which is the direction in which the lens sheet LS as the printing medium travels, is the front (front side), and the opposite direction is the rear (rear side). In addition, the direction of the arrow Y that is the right hand direction from the rear to the front is the right side (right side), and the left hand direction that is the opposite direction is the left side (left side). The following explanation will be given with the direction of the arrow Z as the upper side (upper side) and the opposite direction as the lower side (lower side).

  The printer 10 includes a housing 20 that is an exterior body, a sheet guide 30 that supports the lens sheet LS from below, and a paper feed that conveys the lens sheet LS placed on the sheet guide 30 from the rear to the front. A roller 40, a paper discharge roller 41, a sheet pressing roller 42 that presses the lens sheet LS toward the sheet guide 30, a print head 51 that performs recording on the lens sheet LS, and the like.

  A paper feed opening 21 for supplying the lens sheet LS into the housing 20 is formed on the rear side surface of the housing 20, and a paper feed opening 21 is supplied on the front side surface from the paper feed opening 21 side. A paper discharge opening 22 for discharging the lens sheet LS is formed. The lens sheet LS supplied to the printer 10 from the paper feed opening 21 is conveyed forward by the paper feed roller 40 and the paper discharge roller 41 and is recorded by the print head 51, and then the paper discharge opening. The paper is discharged from the unit 22 to the outside of the printer 10.

  The sheet guide 30 is disposed below the paper feed roller 40, the paper discharge roller 41, and the sheet pressing roller 42, and has a rectangular plate-like body as a whole. The sheet guide 30 is provided in the front-rear direction from a position protruding rearward of the paper feed opening 21 to a position between the paper discharge opening 22 and the paper discharge roller 41. Moreover, about the width direction on either side, it is the width | variety which can be supported over the full width of the lens sheet LS mounted. The seat guide 30 is attached to the housing 20 or a structure such as an internal frame with a configuration not shown.

  The sheet guide 30 includes a substrate 31 and an engaging portion 32. The substrate 31 is a part of a plate-like body formed of resin or the like, and the same member as the lenticular lens LS1 is attached to the upper surface 31A. And the engaging part 32 is formed by this sticking. In the present embodiment, the engaging portion 32 is formed in the same shape as the lenticular lens LS1 of the lens sheet LS. That is, the ridges 33 having the same shape as the convex lenses LS11 forming the lenticular lens LS1 are arranged in parallel over the same pitch as the arrangement pitch of the lenticular lenses LS1 and wider than the width of the lens sheet LS. Further, the longitudinal direction of the ridge 33 is formed along a predetermined conveyance direction of the lens sheet LS, that is, a direction orthogonal to the paper feed roller 40 and the paper discharge roller 41.

  The engaging portion 32 is formed of the same member as the lenticular lens LS1, but when the substrate 31 is formed by resin molding, a mold surface corresponding to the engaging portion 32 is previously formed on the molding die. Thus, the engaging portion 32 may be formed integrally with the substrate 31. In addition, when the engaging portion 32 is integrally molded with the substrate 31, the lens sheet LS and the engaging portion 32 are formed by using a resin material forming the substrate 31 as a low friction resin material such as a fluororesin. Thus, the lens sheet LS can be transported smoothly. Moreover, you may form the board | substrate 31 with a metal plate. In this case, the engaging portion 32 can be formed by cutting the metal plate.

  A paper feed roller 40 and a paper discharge roller 41 are arranged before and after the print head 51. The paper feed roller 40 and the paper discharge roller 41 are rotationally driven by a paper feed motor 43 and a paper discharge motor 44, respectively, and convey the lens sheet LS placed on the sheet guide 30 from the rear to the front. To do. The paper feed roller 40 and the paper discharge roller 41 are provided longer than the width of the lens sheet LS, and can press the lens sheet LS uniformly against the engaging portion 32 over a wide range, and the lenticular lens LS1. The engagement state between the engagement portion 32 and the engagement portion 32 can be further ensured.

  Note that the paper feed roller 40 and the paper discharge roller 41 may be covered with a thick rubber material having elasticity. In the case of such a configuration, the surfaces of the paper feed roller 40 and the paper discharge roller 41 can be elastically deformed. Further, by configuring the distance between the sheet feeding roller 40 and the sheet guide 30 and the distance between the sheet discharge roller 41 and the sheet guide 30 to be narrower than the thickness of the lens sheet LS, the sheet feeding roller 40 and the sheet discharge. The roller 41 is in a state of pressing the lens sheet LS against the sheet guide 30.

  In addition, a sheet pressing roller 42 is disposed at a portion upstream (backward) from the sheet feeding roller 40. The sheet pressing roller 42 is made of, for example, a metal such as stainless steel or brass, and is provided longer than the width in the left-right direction of the lens sheet LS. Further, on the left and right end surfaces of the sheet pressing roller 42, shaft portions 42a having a smaller diameter than the portion of the sheet pressing roller 42 that contacts the lens sheet LS are provided.

  Bearing portions 45 are disposed on both ends of the sheet pressing roller 42. A bearing hole 45 a is formed in the bearing portion 45. The bearing hole 45a is provided in an oval shape that is long in the vertical direction. The shaft portion 42a is inserted into the bearing hole 45a. That is, the sheet pressing roller 42 is supported so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction with respect to the bearing portion 45.

  Here, when the lens sheet LS is inserted between the sheet pressing roller 42 and the sheet guide 30, the sheet pressing roller 42 is lifted upward due to the presence of the lens sheet LS. That is, in a state where the shaft portion 42 a of the sheet pressing roller 42 is supported by the lower end portion of the bearing hole 45 a, the distance between the sheet guide 30 and the sheet pressing roller 42 is the lens mounted on the sheet guide 30. It is set so as to be narrower than the distance between the upper surface of the sheet LS (back surface; surface on the ink transmission layer LS3 side) and the top of the ridge 33. Accordingly, the lens sheet LS conveyed on the sheet guide 30 is pressed against the sheet guide 30 by the sheet pressing roller 42.

  When the lens sheet LS is conveyed, the sheet pressing roller 42 rotates with the shaft portion 42a as a fulcrum following the conveyance of the lens sheet LS. Further, the interval between the paper feed roller 40 and the sheet guide 30 and the interval between the paper discharge roller 41 and the sheet guide 30 are also intervals at which an appropriate pressing force can be applied to the lens sheet LS from these rollers. It has become.

  The print head 51 is attached to the lower surface of the carriage 50 and is configured as an ink jet type recording head that ejects ink in the present embodiment, but other methods (gel jet, thermal transfer method, etc.) are used. Anyway. The carriage 50 is movably supported by a carriage shaft 52 that extends in the left-right direction, and is attached to a timing belt 54 that is driven by a carriage motor 53. Therefore, when the timing belt 54 is driven to rotate in the left-right direction by the carriage motor 53, the print head 51 moves in the left-right direction along the carriage shaft 52. In addition, an ink cartridge 55 (see FIG. 3) is detachably mounted on the carriage 50.

  With the above configuration, when recording is performed on the lens sheet LS, the lens sheet LS is placed on the sheet guide 30 with the lenticular lens LS1 side facing the engaging portion 32 of the sheet guide 30. Accordingly, the convex lens LS11 and the convex stripe 33 of the lens sheet LS are engaged with each other, and the lens sheet LS is positioned in the left-right direction (main scanning direction) by the engaging portion 32. Further, the longitudinal direction of the ridge 33 is formed so as to be along the conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) of the lens sheet LS. Therefore, when the lens sheet LS is conveyed, the lens sheet LS is guided in the sub-scanning direction by the engaging portion 32. Thus, the lens sheet LS is conveyed in a state where the conveyance direction is maintained constant.

<Configuration of control unit>
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the control unit 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable ROM) 104, an ASIC. (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 105, communication I / F 107, head driver 108, motor driver 109, etc., which can transmit and receive data to each other via a transmission path 106 (see FIG. 4) such as a bus. It is connected.

  Among these, the CPU 101 is a part that executes various arithmetic processes in accordance with programs stored in the ROM 102 and the EEPROM 104 and controls each part of the printer 10. The ROM 102 stores a control program for controlling the printer 10 and data necessary for processing. A RAM 103 is a memory that temporarily stores a program being executed by the CPU 101 or data being calculated. The EEPROM 104 is a memory for storing various data that needs to be retained even after the printer 10 is turned off. Note that the ROM 102 and the EEPROM 104 also have programs similar to the printer driver program 142 described later.

  The ASIC 105 is a dedicated IC for driving the print head 51 and various motors based on signals from various sensors (not shown). The communication I / F 107 is connected to the computer 130 via a connector (not shown) to perform communication. Thus, when the printer 10 receives the print signal PS from the computer 130 side, the printer 10 starts processing for printing based on the print signal PS.

  Further, the head driver 108 generates a predetermined voltage in response to a command from the ASIC 105 and applies the voltage to the piezo element in the print head 51. The motor driver 109 generates a predetermined voltage in response to a command from the ASIC 105 and applies the voltage to the motors 43, 44, and 53.

<Schematic configuration of computer>
As shown in FIG. 5, the printer 10 is connected to a computer 130 via a communication I / F 107. The computer 130 includes a CPU 131, a ROM 132, a RAM 133, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 134, a video circuit 135, an interface 136, a display device 137, and the like. Among these, the HDD 134 stores an image processing program 140, a video driver program 141, a printer driver program 142, and the like.

  Among these, the image processing program 140 selects desired image data from a storage site such as the HDD 134, displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for generating a stereoscopic image or a change image, and also selects a plurality of selected multiple items. This is a program for calculating the correlation of image data.

  The video driver program 141 is a program for driving the video circuit 135. For example, the video driver program 141 generates a video signal after performing gamma processing, white balance adjustment, or the like on the image data supplied from the image processing program 140. Then, it is executed when the image is supplied to the display device 137 and displayed.

  The printer driver program 142 operates under a predetermined operating system (OS), performs resolution conversion processing on the image data created by the image processing program 140, and creates RGB color system composite image data, etc. Then, color conversion processing for converting to CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) color system print data, and halftone processing and rasterization processing for print data represented by the CMYK color system are performed. The print signal PS is output to the printer 10 side.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the printer driver program 142 includes a resolution conversion module 142a, an image composition module 142b, a color conversion module 142c, a halftone module 142d, a white insertion module 142e, a print data generation module 142f, and a transmission module 142g. , An ink increase amount LUT 142h, and a recording rate table 142i.

  Among these, the resolution conversion module 142a is a module that appropriately converts the resolution of the image data in accordance with the print resolution (for example, 720 dpi) of the printer 10.

  The image composition module 142b subdivides each of the plurality of image data into strips to generate a subdivided image. Thereafter, the image synthesis module 142b executes a process of arranging the segmented strip-shaped image data in a predetermined order and synthesizing.

  The color conversion module 142c refers to an ink increase LUT 142h, which will be described later, and converts image data represented by the RGB (Red Green Blue) color system into, for example, CMYK (Cyan Magenta Yellow Black) color system image data. This module executes the conversion process.

  The halftone module 142d uses, for example, dither processing to convert image data in which, for example, one pixel is expressed with 256 gradations using the CMYK color system, with reference to the recording rate table, and includes three types of dots, large, medium, and small. Convert to bitmap data consisting of combinations. Note that an aggregated dot row is formed by this halftone process.

The white insertion module 142e is a module for inserting a white dot row between aggregated dot rows formed by halftone processing. Here, assuming that the number of dots per parallax in one convex lens LS11 is Dmax and the number of dots in the width direction of the aggregated dot row is D, the number of blank dots S in the width direction of one convex lens LS11 is as follows (Equation 1 ).
S = Dmax−D (Expression 1)

  The print data generation module 142f generates print data including raster data indicating the dot recording state during each main scan and data indicating the sub-scan feed amount from the bitmap data output from the white insertion module 142e. . The transmission module 142g is a module that transmits the print data generated by the print data generation module 142f to the printer 10.

  The ink increase LUT (Look up table) 142h is a table that stores information indicating the correspondence relationship between input image data in the RGB color system and output image data in the CMYK color system, for example. Here, in a normal LUT (hereinafter referred to as a standard LUT), gradation values of output image data in the CMYK color system obtained from input image data in the RGB color system are as shown in the upper part of FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the ink increase amount LUT 142h is as shown in the lower part of FIG. That is, in the ink increase amount LUT 142h, the CMKY gradation value in the standard LUT is tripled. Since the upper limit of the gradation value is 255, even if the tripled value exceeds 255, the upper limit value is 255.

  The recording rate table 142i is a table that stores information indicating the recording rates of small, medium, and large dots in each case of, for example, 0 to 255 gradations.

<Determination of the number of dots in the width direction in the aggregated dot row>
A process for determining the number of dots in the width direction (the number D of aggregated dots) in the aggregated dot row in the printing apparatus 11 having the above configuration will be described based on the flow of FIG.

First, the minimum print width L1 is measured (S01). The minimum print width L1 corresponds to a diameter in consideration of bleeding when, for example, one drop of ink is attached to the lens sheet LS. Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the focal line width F of the convex lens LS11 having a certain width is smaller than the minimum printing width L1 (S02). In this determination, when it is determined that the focal line width F is smaller than the minimum print width L1 (in the case of Yes), the aggregated dot number D is determined to be 1 (S03). If it is determined in S02 that the focal line width F is equal to or larger than the minimum print width L1 (in the case of No), the aggregated dot number D is obtained by the following (Equation 2).
D = trunc (F / L1) (Formula 2)

  Here, the aggregated dot number D is calculated by using a trunc function that obtains only an integer by rounding down the decimal part of the result of division. When S03 and S04 are finished, this flow is finished. Further, in (Equation 2), the aggregated dot number D is obtained by rounding off or rounding up the rounded off or rounded up value, although only the integer is obtained by rounding off the decimal part of the division result. It may be determined as follows. In the determination of S02, it is determined whether or not the focal line width F is smaller than the minimum printing width L1, but it is determined whether or not the focal line width F is equal to or smaller than the minimum printing width L1. Anyway.

  Since the minimum print width L1 and the focal line width F as described above are known in advance, they are stored as set values in a storage part such as the ROM 102 or the EEPROM 104 in the process of manufacturing the printer 10.

<Determination of the number of parallax>
Next, a process for determining the optimal number of parallaxes P when printing on the lens sheet LS will be described based on the flow of FIG.

First, the maximum ink overlap rate M is set (S11). The maximum ink overlap rate M is a value indicating how much ink droplets overlap when they adhere to the lens sheet LS. Subsequently, the minimum line width L2 is calculated (S12). The minimum line width L2 is a line width excluding the overlapping portion of the minimum print width L1 obtained in the flow of FIG. 8, and is obtained by the following (Equation 3).
L2 = L1 × (100−M) / 100 (Formula 3)

Subsequently, the maximum and minimum parallax numbers are calculated (S13). Here, assuming that the lens width of the convex lens LS11 is K, the maximum parallax number Pmax is obtained by the following (formula 4), and the minimum parallax number Pmin is obtained by the following (formula 5).
Pmax = Round (K / L1) (Formula 4)
Pmin = Trunc (K / L2) (Formula 5)

  Here, the maximum number of parallaxes Pmax is calculated by using a Round function that rounds off the result of the division. The minimum parallax number Pmin is calculated by using a Trunc function that rounds off the decimal part of the result of division. In addition, since the maximum number of parallaxes and the minimum number of parallaxes are obtained through S13, the number between them is a candidate for the number P of parallaxes.

  Next, candidate patterns for the number of parallaxes P are actually printed and evaluated by visual observation based on the actual appearance of the pattern (S14). Then, the parallax number P is determined by evaluating the actual appearance. Instead of visual evaluation, for example, a design printed on the lens sheet LS may be taken in by a scanner or camera, and the appearance of the design may be evaluated by a predetermined program.

  The parallax number P calculated as described above is obtained from the minimum print width L1 and the lens width K. Therefore, in the process of manufacturing the printer 10, a table or a predetermined calculation formula is stored in a storage portion such as the ROM 102 or the EEPROM 104 so that the lens width K can be automatically obtained by inputting the lens width K.

<Processing executed by the printer driver program>
Next, processing executed by the printer driver program 142 in the printing apparatus 11 having the above-described configuration will be described based on the processing flow in FIG.

  First, the printer driver program 142 reads the print setting value (S110). The print setting values include the lens pitch of the lens sheet LS, the size at the time of printing (size of print data), the print resolution, the number of parallaxes P, the number of aggregated dots D, and the like.

  When the reading of the print setting value is completed, the resolution conversion module 142a subsequently converts the resolution of the input image data (S120). In this resolution conversion processing, a size corresponding to printing is calculated for each input image data that is the basis of the combined image data after a plurality of pieces of image data are combined. For example, when the lens pitch is 60 lpi, the width direction of the print size is 6 inches, the longitudinal direction is 4 inches, the print resolution is 720 dpi, the number of parallaxes is 4, and the aggregated dot number D is 1, the image data after resolution conversion is The width direction W is 360 dots (= 6 inches × 60 lpi; corresponding to the number of lenses), and the longitudinal direction H is 2880 dots (= 720 dpi × 4 inches).

  Next, composite image data is created by the image composition module 142b (S130). In creating this composite image data, the image data after resolution conversion is subdivided into strips so as to be arranged one by one on the convex lens LS11, and elongated image data for one parallax (subdivided image data). Form. The other image data is similarly processed. Further, the subdivided image data is arranged in the order in which the image changes in one convex lens LS11 (order of viewing angle). Thereby, parallax order and strip-shaped image data (parallax dot row; see FIG. 12) arranged in one convex lens LS11 is created, and is performed on all the convex lenses LS11. Thereby, composite image data is created. For example, when the image data after resolution conversion is 360 dots in the width direction W and 2880 dots in the longitudinal direction H and the number of parallaxes P is 4, the width direction W of the composite image data is 1440 dots and the longitudinal direction H is 2880. It becomes a dot.

  Subsequently, color conversion processing is performed by the color conversion module 142c and the ink increase LUT 142h (S140). In the color conversion process, color components expressed in the RGB color system of the composite image data are converted into color components of the CMYK color system that can be printed / expressed by the printer 10. Here, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, since the color conversion process is performed based on the ink increase amount LUT 142h, the gradation value of CMKY is more than that when the color conversion process is performed based on the standard LUT. However, it is raised to 3 times, for example. For this reason, the ink density (ink gradation value) in each of the aggregated dots of the aggregated dot row is much higher than the case where the standard LUT is used, such as three times (ink gradation value). Color conversion processing is performed so that

  In the present embodiment, the ink increase LUT 142h is assumed to increase the ink gradation value, for example, about three times as compared with the case where the standard LUT is used. However, the ink increase amount LUT 142h is not limited to the case where the ink gradation value is increased by about 3 times compared to the case where the standard LUT is used, and other magnifications may be used. In particular, when the ink increase amount LUT 142h is used, when the value is set to be slightly higher by a plus α than 3 times, for example, 3.1 times to 3.2 times, compared to the case where the standard LUT is used. , The image quality will be good. For example, when the width direction W of the composite image data is 1440 dots and the longitudinal direction H is 2880 dots, data after color conversion processing with the same resolution is obtained for each of CMYK (the same applies to halftone processing).

  Thereafter, halftone processing is performed on the composite image data that has undergone color conversion by the halftone module 142d (S150). Here, the halftone process is a process of reducing the gradation value of the original image data (256 gradations in the present embodiment) to a gradation value that can be expressed by the printer 10 for each pixel. In the present embodiment, referring to the recording rate table 142i, for example, four gradations of “no dot formation”, “small dot formation”, “medium dot formation”, and “large dot formation” are obtained. Perform color reduction.

  In such halftone processing, for example, halftone processing is executed using a dither matrix D1 as shown in FIG. However, halftone processing may be performed using a different dither matrix, and halftone processing may be performed using an error diffusion method instead of the dither method.

  After S150, white insertion processing is performed by the white insertion module 142e on the image data for which halftone processing has been completed (S160). In the white insertion process, a blank dot row is adjacent to a long image data for one parallax that has been subjected to halftone processing and is disposed on one convex lens LS11, and the number of dots in the width direction will be described later (Formula 6). ) So that the number Dmax of one parallax dot obtained by the above is obtained. Here, a blank dot row refers to a series of blank dots that are elongated in the longitudinal direction, and a blank dot is a pixel having any CMYK gradation value of 0 (any color or type of ink). A pixel having a gradation value that does not cause droplets to be ejected.

Here, the number Dmax of one parallax dot is obtained by the following (formula 6).
Dmax = (printing resolution / lens pitch) / number of parallaxes P (Expression 6)
For example, assuming that the lens pitch is 60 lpi, the printing resolution is 720 dpi, and the number of parallaxes is 4, the number of 1-parallax dots Dmax = 3 is obtained. Therefore, when the width direction W of the image data after halftone processing is 1440 dots and the longitudinal direction H is 2880 dots, the image data after white insertion processing is 4320 dots (= 1440 × Dmax) in the width direction W The direction H is 2880 dots.

  When the white insertion process is completed, the print data generation module 142f executes a process for generating print data from the image data subjected to the white insertion process (S170). Here, the print data is data including raster data indicating the dot recording state during each main scan and data indicating the sub-scan feed amount, and is created by referring to the distributed data in a distribution table (not shown). Is done. Next, the transmission module 142g outputs the generated print data to the printer 10 (S180).

  As described above, when the processing on the computer 130 side is completed and the printer 10 receives print data, the CPU 101 of the control unit 100 issues a control command, and the carriage motor 53 and the print are generated based on the control command. The head 51 is driven. Accordingly, the carriage 50 ejects ink droplets from a nozzle (not shown) onto the lens sheet LS while moving in the main scanning direction, and printing is executed.

<Effect in the present embodiment>
Through the processes of S110 to S160 as described above, a process result as shown in FIG. 12 is obtained. In other words, the ink density (ink gradation value) of each aggregated dot of the aggregated dot row is much higher (ink gradation value), for example, three times as compared with the case where the standard LUT is used. It has become. In addition, as shown in FIG. 12, the parallax dot row has a blank dot row together with the aggregated dot row.

  That is, the resultant product obtained by executing printing on the lens sheet LS has a portion where ink droplets adhere (aggregated dot row) and a portion where ink does not adhere (blank dot row). As a result, the effect of crosstalk can be reduced in the result of printing on the lens sheet LS. In addition, the gradation value of each aggregation dot of the aggregation dot row is the element corresponding to each pixel of the aggregation dot row by the amount that reflects the gradation value of the original pixel before forming the blank dot of the blank dot row. Since it is larger than the gradation value of the pixel, it is possible to prevent the printed image from becoming white in the printed result on the lens sheet LS.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the processing flow shown in FIG. 8 is executed to determine the aggregated dot number D. That is, the minimum print width L1 corresponding to the diameter in consideration of ink droplet bleeding is measured, it is determined whether or not the focal line width F of the lens LS11 is smaller than the minimum print width L1, and the focal line width F of the lens LS11 is determined. Is determined to be smaller than the minimum print width L1, the aggregated dot number D is determined to be 1, and when it is determined that the focal line width F of the lens LS11 is equal to or greater than the minimum print width L1, The number of dots D is determined so as to be an integer value obtained by dividing the focal line width F of the lens by the minimum printing width L1 and then truncating the decimal part. Therefore, it is possible to determine the aggregated dot number D satisfactorily while suppressing the occurrence of crosstalk.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, in the color conversion process of S140 in FIG. 10, the tone value of each aggregated dot in the aggregated dot row is reflected by the tone value of the original pixel before forming the blank dot. Color conversion processing is performed using the ink increase LUT 142h. For this reason, it is possible to satisfactorily prevent the printed image formed on the lens sheet LS from becoming white.

  In the present embodiment, after the halftone process of S150 is performed, a white insertion process of inserting a predetermined number of blank dot rows between adjacent aggregated dot rows is performed as in S160. By performing the process of S160, even if a print image is formed on the lens sheet LS, the influence of crosstalk can be reduced satisfactorily.

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the same members as those described in the first embodiment will be described using the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in this embodiment, the printer driver program 142A has a resolution conversion module 142a, a color conversion module 142c, a print data generation module 142f, a transmission module 142g, an ink increase LUT 142h, and a recording rate table 142i. ing. The printer driver program 142 includes an image composition module 142b1 that performs processing different from that of the first embodiment, and a halftone module 142d1 that performs processing different from that of the first embodiment. However, the printer driver program 142 does not have the white insertion module 142e.

  In the present embodiment, the processing flow shown in FIG. 14 is executed. In the processing flow shown in FIG. 14, S110, S120, S140, S170, and S180 similar to the processing flow shown in FIG. 10 are executed. However, the process of S131 is executed instead of the process of S130, and the process of S151 is executed instead of the process of S150. Further, the process of S160 is not executed in the present embodiment. Hereinafter, S131 and S151 will be described.

  The image composition module 142b1 in the present embodiment performs white insertion processing in S160 in addition to the processing in S130 performed by the image composition module 142b in the first embodiment described above (S131). In other words, when creating the composite image data, the above-described subdivided image data is formed, and the parallax image data is formed by adjoining the subdivided image data with a blank dot row. At this time, the number of dots in the width direction of the subdivided image data and the blank dot row is set to be the number of 1 parallax dots Dmax obtained by (Equation 6), and the parallax image data is created.

  The parallax image data are arranged in the order in which the images change (order of viewing angles) in one convex lens LS11. Thereby, strip-shaped image data arranged in one convex lens LS11 is created, and it is performed for all the convex lenses LS11. Thereby, composite image data is created. For example, when the width direction W of the composite image data in the first embodiment is 1440 dots and the length direction H is 2880 dots, the width direction W of the composite image data in this embodiment is 4320 dots (= 1440 × Dmax). ), The longitudinal direction H is 2880 dots.

  Further, the halftone module 142d1 in the present embodiment performs halftone processing in consideration of the white position (S151). Specifically, halftone processing is performed using a dither matrix D2 as shown in FIG. The dither matrix D2 is different from the dither matrix D1 shown in FIG. 11 in that the portion where the blank dot row is inserted is expanded. Note that the threshold value of the expanded portion of the dither matrix D2 is set to a value that reliably turns off the dots, for example, 255.

<Effect in the present embodiment>
Also in the present embodiment, in the result of printing on the lens sheet LS, it is possible to reduce the influence of crosstalk and to prevent the print image from becoming white. In addition, in the present embodiment, composite image data is generated while performing white insertion processing in S131 of FIG. Therefore, the process of S160 in FIG. 10 can be made unnecessary.

  In the present embodiment, halftone processing in consideration of the white position as in S151 of FIG. 14 is performed using a dither matrix D2 as shown in FIG. For this reason, it is possible to reliably insert a blank dot row into the print data.

(Third embodiment)
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the same members as those described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be described using the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 16, in this embodiment, the printer driver program 142B includes a resolution conversion module 142a, an image composition module 142b, a color conversion module 142c, a white insertion module 142e, a print data generation module 142f, a transmission module 142g, a recording It has a rate table 142i. Further, the printer driver program 142 includes a halftone module 142d2 that performs processing different from that of the first embodiment. In addition, in the present embodiment, the standard LUT 142h1 is used without using the ink increase LUT 142h.

  In the present embodiment, the processing flow shown in FIG. 17 is executed. In the processing flow shown in FIG. 17, S110, S120, S130, S160, S170, and S180 similar to the processing flow shown in FIG. 10 are executed. However, the process of S141 is executed instead of the process of S140, and the process of S152 is executed instead of the process of S150. Hereinafter, S141 and S152 will be described.

  Unlike the halftone module 142d in the first embodiment described above, the halftone module 142d2 in the present embodiment performs halftone processing considering the formation of an aggregated dot row in which ink droplets are aggregated (S152). ). That is, in the present embodiment, by performing halftone processing, processing is performed to obtain the same result as the result of the halftone processing of the aggregated dot row. Therefore, in the present embodiment, halftone processing is performed using a dither matrix D3 as shown in FIG. Unlike the dither matrix D1 shown in FIG. 11, the dither matrix D3 is set such that the threshold value of each pixel is, for example, 1/3 of the normal dither matrix D1. That is, each threshold value of the dither matrix D3 is a value obtained by multiplying each threshold value of the dither matrix D1 by an aggregation rate (D / Dmax; see S160). For this reason, compared with the case where the normal dither matrix D1 is used, the dots are likely to be turned on, for example, about three times.

  In the present embodiment, the color conversion module 142c performs color conversion processing using the standard LUT 142h1 instead of color conversion processing using the ink increase LUT 142h (S141). Therefore, in the color conversion process according to the present embodiment, the color conversion process is performed so as to obtain a normal density (ink gradation value), unlike the case of using the ink increase LUT 142h.

<Effect in the present embodiment>
Also in the present embodiment, in the result of printing on the lens sheet LS, it is possible to reduce the influence of crosstalk and to prevent the print image from becoming white. In addition, in the present embodiment, color conversion processing is performed using the standard LUT 142h1 in S141 in FIG. 17, and halftone processing in consideration of formation of aggregated dot rows in S152 in FIG. 17 (the dither matrix D3 in FIG. 18 is changed). Halftone processing to be used).

  For this reason, when the halftone process in S152 is executed, the dots are likely to be turned on, for example, about three times as compared with the case of using the normal dither matrix D1, and the ink density (ink density) of the portion corresponding to the aggregated dot row is increased. (Gradation value) can be increased.

  In the present embodiment, the white insertion process of S160 is performed after the halftone process of S152. Therefore, a blank dot row can be arranged adjacent to the aggregated dot row, and even if a print image is formed on the lens sheet LS, the influence of crosstalk can be reduced.

(Fourth embodiment)
Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the same members as those described in the first to third embodiments will be described using the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 19, in this embodiment, the printer driver program 142C includes a resolution conversion module 142a, an image composition module 142b1 (similar to that of the second embodiment), a color conversion module 142c, and a print data generation module. 142f, a transmission module 142g, and a recording rate table 142i. Further, in the present embodiment, as in the third embodiment described above, the standard LUT 142h1 is used instead of the ink increase LUT 142h. Further, the printer driver program 142C has a halftone module 142d3 that performs processing different from that of the first embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the processing flow shown in FIG. 20 is executed. In the processing flow shown in FIG. 20, S110, S120, S170, and S180 similar to the processing flow shown in FIG. 10 are executed, S131 similar to the processing flow shown in FIG. 14 is executed, and the processing flow shown in FIG. S141 similar to the above is executed. However, S160 in FIG. 10 is not executed. Further, the process of S153 is executed instead of the process of S150 in FIG. Hereinafter, S153 will be described.

  Unlike the halftone module 142d in the first embodiment described above, the halftone module 142d3 in the present embodiment performs halftone processing using a specific dither as shown in FIG. 21 (S153). . That is, as in the dither matrix D3 in FIG. 18, the dither matrix D4 is obtained by multiplying each threshold value of the dither matrix D1 by the aggregation rate of (D / Dmax) by the threshold value of the dither matrix D1. Each threshold is set. In addition, the dither matrix D4 includes an extended portion of the dither matrix D2 as shown in FIG.

  Therefore, when the halftone process of S153 is performed, the dots are likely to be turned on, for example, about three times as compared with the case where the normal dither matrix D1 is used. Further, when the halftone process of S153 is performed, the threshold value of the above-described extended portion is set to a value that reliably turns off the dot, for example, 255, so that the dot corresponding to the blank dot row It is possible not to hit the button reliably.

<Effect in the present embodiment>
Also in the present embodiment, in the result of printing on the lens sheet LS, it is possible to reduce the influence of crosstalk and to prevent the print image from becoming white. In addition, in the present embodiment, composite image data is generated while performing the white insertion process of S131 described above. Therefore, the process of S160 in FIG. 10 can be made unnecessary.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the color conversion process is performed using the above-described process of S141, that is, the standard LUT 142h1, and in S153 of FIG. 20, the halftone process (see FIG. The halftone process using 21 dither matrixes D4 is executed.

  For this reason, when halftone processing is executed, the dots are likely to be turned on, for example, about three times as compared with the case where the normal dither matrix D1 is used, and the ink density (ink gradation) of the portion corresponding to the aggregated dot row Value) can be increased. In addition, since the dither matrix D4 has an extended portion, it is possible to reliably insert a blank dot row into the print data, similarly to the dither matrix D2 as shown in FIG.

<Modification>
Although the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be variously modified. This will be described below.

  In each of the embodiments described above, when information about the distance of a part of the image data (subject, etc.) is embedded in the image data (for example, when there is information about the distance of the subject in the Exif information), By referring to the information, the present invention as shown in FIG. 12 may be applied to only a part of the part to obtain a result of the halftone process. On the contrary, a part of the part is excluded. It is also possible to apply the present invention as shown in FIG. 12 only to the part that has been obtained to obtain the result of the halftone process.

  Further, instead of the process of S160 in FIGS. 10 and 17, the following operation may be performed. For example, without changing the feed speed of the carriage 50 by the carriage motor 53, the ejection timing of the ink ejected from the print head 51 is delayed from the conventional one (for example, the ejection timing interval is extended by about 3 times or plus α). You may do it. Further, for example, the carriage 50 is fed by the carriage motor 53 faster than before (for example, three times or faster by about α), and the ejection timing of the ink ejected from the print head 51 is the same as the conventional one. Also good.

  Even in this case, it is possible to obtain the same processing result as the processing of S160 in FIGS. 10 and 17, and the influence of crosstalk can be reduced.

In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the ink increase amount LUT 142h is used to increase the ink density (ink gradation value) in the aggregated dot row. However, when halftone processing is performed using the error diffusion method, the following may be used. For example, when binarization halftone processing is performed using a normal error diffusion method, the binarization error Err is obtained by the following (Equation 7).
Err = (tone value before binarization processing) − (tone value after binarization processing) (Expression 7)

In (Equation 7), when (the gradation value after binarization processing) is multiplied by the above-described aggregation rate, (Equation 8) is obtained.
Err = (tone value before binarization processing) − (tone value after binarization processing) × (D / Dmax) (Equation 8)

  In the above (Equation 8), the value of the error Err increases by the amount multiplied by the aggregation rate, so that the ink density (ink gradation value) can be increased in the aggregated dot row. Note that (Equation 7) and (Equation 8) are not limited to the binarization process, and may be a quaternization process as described in each of the above embodiments, and other N-ary processes (N May be an integer). The above-described embodiments are also applicable to N-value conversion processing (N is an integer).

  In the second embodiment described above, the halftone process in consideration of the white position in S151 is executed together with the generation of the composite image data accompanied by the white insertion in S131. However, for example, when the same processing result is obtained even if only one of S131 and S151 is executed, only one of S131 and S151 may be executed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printer 10 is a type of printer in which the carriage 50 moves in the main scanning direction. However, the printer may be a printer (XY printer) in which the carriage can move not only in the main scanning direction but also in the sub-scanning direction. Further, the present invention may be applied to a printer having a line head in which the carriage 50 does not move in the main scanning direction.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the printing apparatus 11 includes the printer 10 and the computer 130 has been described. However, the printing apparatus may be configured by the printer 10 alone.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Printer, 30 ... Sheet guide, 32 ... Engagement part, 50 ... Carriage, 51 ... Print head, 100 ... Control part, 130 ... Computer, 142 ... Printer driver program, 142b, 142b1 ... Image composition module, 142c ... Color Conversion module, 142d, 142d1, 142d2, 142d3 ... halftone module, 142e ... white insertion module, 142h ... ink increase LUT, LS ... lens sheet, LS11 ... convex lens (corresponding to lens)

Claims (8)

Print data for forming a parallax image based on a plurality of original image data on a lens sheet on which a lenticular lens is arranged, and print data having an aggregated dot row and a blank dot row accompanied by a halftone process It has an image composition step to create,
The gradation value of each pixel of the blank dot row is set to a value that does not eject ink drops of any color or type,
The gradation value of each pixel of the aggregated dot row is the amount of the original pixel corresponding to each pixel of the aggregated dot row by an amount that reflects the gradation value of the original pixel before forming each pixel of the blank dot row. Larger than the gradation value ,
Before performing the halftone process, a predetermined number of blank dots are placed between the aggregated dot rows.
Insert process to insert
An image processing method. The image processing method according to claim 1,
Measure the minimum print width corresponding to the diameter in consideration of bleeding when the ink droplets adhere to the lens sheet,
Determine whether the focal line width of the lens is smaller than the minimum print width,
If it is determined in the determination that the focal line width of the lens is smaller than the minimum print width or less than the minimum print width, the number of dots in the width direction perpendicular to the row direction formed by the aggregated dot row Is determined to be 1,
If it is determined in the determination that the focal line width of the lens is greater than or equal to the minimum print width or greater than the minimum print width, the number of dots in the width direction orthogonal to the row direction formed by the aggregated dot row , After dividing the focal line width of the lens by the minimum print width, to determine the integer value obtained by rounding down or rounding up or down after the decimal point,
An image processing method. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein:
In the image synthesizing step, and resolution conversion processing, image synthesis processing and the color conversion process, thereby creating the print data by sequentially performing said halftone processing,
In the color conversion process, the gradation value of the original pixel corresponding to the aggregated dot is reflected by the gradation value of each aggregated dot in the aggregated dot row so as to reflect the gradation value of the original pixel before the blank dot is formed. Color conversion processing is performed using an ink increase LUT to make the value larger than the value.
An image processing method. The image processing method according to claim 3,
The timing for ejecting the ink droplets from the print head to the lens sheet is more than the timing for ejecting the ink droplets to form the original pixels of the aggregated dot row and the original pixels of the blank dot row. Perform the timing adjustment process to delay by the amount of blank dot rows.
An image processing method. The image processing method according to claim 3,
The speed at which the print head is moved relative to the lens sheet is the speed at which the print head is moved when the ink droplets are ejected to form the original pixels of the aggregated dot row and the original pixels of the blank dot row. Rather than performing the speed adjustment process to make it faster by the amount of the blank dot row present,
An image processing method. The image processing method according to claim 3 ,
When there is distance information regarding a part of each of the original image data, the aggregation dot row corresponding to the part or the aggregation excluding the part is applicable. Performing the color conversion process and the insertion process on the dot row ;
An image processing method. The image processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The halftone process is performed using a dither matrix.
An image processing method. 8. A printing apparatus, wherein the ink droplets are ejected onto the lens sheet based on the image processing method according to claim 1 to enable printing on the lens sheet. .

Images