JP6219697B2 - Image forming method and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  According to the present invention, when an image is formed on the surface of a printing medium (hereinafter simply referred to as “medium”) by an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine, a screen-through (ie, through-screening) is performed by additionally forming a shielding agent on the medium. The present invention relates to an image forming method and an image forming apparatus for preventing an image formed on the surface of a medium from being seen through the back surface of the medium.

  Conventionally, for example, in the image forming method or the image forming apparatus described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, etc., when an image is fixed on a medium using colored toner or colored ink, on the back surface of the fixed medium surface, In order to prevent the see-through phenomenon that the surface image can be seen through, the entire area where the image is printed, or only the area where the image is actually printed, with a constant layer thickness on one or both sides of the medium. I was painting.

JP 2003-182203 A JP 2004-243710 A

  However, the conventional image forming method or image forming apparatus has the following problems (1) to (3).

  (1) In order to prevent the back side of the image on one side of the medium, assuming that the layer thickness to which the shielding agent is applied is 100%, the shielding agent is printed with a layer thickness of 100% for each side even when performing duplex printing. Thus, the layer thickness is 200%, and the screening agent is wasted.

  (2) Usually, the back-through is a phenomenon in which the image on the front surface is seen through when there is no image on the opposite back surface of the portion where the image is printed on the surface of the medium. For example, in double-sided printing or the like, if there is a back side image on the back side opposite to the printed image on the front side, the front side image is shielded by the back side image and the front side image does not show through. However, in the prior art, since the shielding agent is also applied to this portion, the shielding agent is used wastefully.

  (3) As a problem caused by seeing through the image on the opposite side by see-through, a problem that makes visual recognition difficult and correct reading is performed in OCR (Optical Character Recognition) processing. There are issues such as disappearance. As a countermeasure, the amount (threshold value) of the shielding agent that enables accurate reading for each is different, but the shielding agent is printed with a layer thickness of 100% regardless of the reading target. Is being used in vain.

The image forming method of the present invention determines the print range of each of the plurality of objects on both the front surface and the back surface of the print medium in the case of double-sided printing of the print medium based on print data composed of a plurality of objects, The formation range of the shielding agent formed on the base of the printing range on both sides is determined, and the determined formation range of the shielding agent on both sides is synthesized, and the shielding agent formation range on the front surface and the shielding agent on the back surface are synthesized. When the formation range overlaps, the formation range of the shielding agent is determined so that the shielding agent is formed only on one side.
According to another image forming method of the present invention, the print range of each of the plurality of objects on both the front surface and the back surface of the print medium is determined in the case of double-sided printing of the print medium based on print data including a plurality of objects. And determining a forming range of the shielding agent formed on the base of the printing range on both sides, determining an overlapping range of the determined shielding agent forming range on the front surface and the shielding agent forming range on the back surface, and determining The formed shielding agent formation range on both surfaces is synthesized, and the shielding agent is formed only on one side of the synthesized shielding agent formation range excluding the determined overlapping range. The formation range of the shielding agent is determined so that the shielding agent is not formed in the overlapping range.
According to still another image forming method of the present invention, the print range of each of the plurality of objects on both the front surface and the back surface of the print medium is determined based on print data composed of a plurality of objects. Determining, determining the formation range of the shielding agent formed on the base of the printing range on both sides, determining the overlapping range of the determined shielding agent formation range of the front surface and the shielding agent formation range of the back surface, The formation range of the shielding agent on the determined both surfaces is synthesized, and the shielding agent is formed on only one side of the synthesized formation range of the shielding agent except the determined overlapping range. together, for the overlapping range as thinner than the range in which the screening agent alone on one side except the overlapping range, determines the formation range of the shielding agent, this The features.

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention, based on print data including a plurality of objects, determines a print range of each object, and edits to determine a formation range and a formation layer thickness of a shielding agent formed on a base of the print range The shielding agent is attached to the medium with the determined formation range and thickness of the formation layer, and the object is placed on the medium and on the attached shielding agent in the determined printing range. A print processing unit that forms a print image by printing, and the editing processing unit, based on the print data, in the case of double-sided printing of the print medium, both front and back sides of the print medium A shielding agent formation range determination processing unit that determines a printing range of each object in the image and determines a formation range of the shielding agent on the both surfaces, and the shielding on the determined both surfaces When the surface forming agent forming range on the front surface overlaps with the surface forming agent forming range on the back surface, the forming of the shielding agent so as to form the shielding agent only on one side with the thickness of the forming layer. And a shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit for determining the range and the formation layer thickness.
Another image forming apparatus according to the present invention determines a print range of each object based on print data including a plurality of objects, and determines a formation range and a formation layer thickness of a shielding agent formed on a base of the print range. An editing processing unit, and the shielding agent is attached to the print medium with the determined formation range and the thickness of the formation layer; and in the determined printing range, on the print medium and on the attached shielding agent A print processing unit that prints the object to form a print image, and the editing processing unit is configured to print a surface of the print medium in the case of duplex printing of the print medium based on the print data. And a shielding agent formation range determination processing unit that determines a printing range of each object on both sides of the back surface and determines the formation range of the shielding agent on the both surfaces, and the shielding of the determined surface. A masking agent overlapping range determination processing unit that determines an overlapping range between the agent forming range and the masking agent forming range on the back surface, and the forming range of the masking agent on the determined both surfaces is synthesized, and the synthesized shielding agent The formation range of the shielding agent is set so that the shielding agent is formed only on one side of the formation range excluding the determined overlapping range, and the shielding agent is not formed on the overlapping range. And a shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit to be determined.
Still another image forming apparatus of the present invention determines a print range of each object based on print data including a plurality of objects, and determines a formation range and a formation layer thickness of a shielding agent to be formed on a base of the print range. The shielding processing agent is attached to the printing medium with the determined forming range and the forming layer thickness, and in the determined printing range, on the printing medium and on the attached shielding agent. And a print processing unit that prints the object to form a print image, and the editing processing unit, based on the print data, in the case of double-sided printing of the print medium, A masking agent formation range determination processing unit that determines a printing range of each object on both the front and back surfaces and determines a forming range of the shielding agent on the both surfaces; and the determined table A shielding agent overlapping range determination processing unit for determining an overlapping range of the shielding agent forming range of the back surface and the shielding agent forming range of the back surface, and combining the determined forming range of the shielding agent on the both surfaces, and combining the shielding of formation range of the agent, together with the shielding agent only on one surface for a range excluding the determination by the overlapping ranges is formed, the shielding agent only on one surface for the overlapping range excluding the overlapping range range And a shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit for determining the formation range of the shielding agent so as to be formed thinner.

  According to the image forming method and the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the forming range and the forming layer thickness of the shielding agent formed on the base of the printing range are determined, and the shielding agent is used as a medium with the determined forming range and forming layer thickness. Since the printed image is formed by printing the object on the shielding agent, it is possible to prevent the back-through as well as the conventional technology and to save the shielding agent by eliminating the waste of the shielding agent. .

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an image forming structure for explaining the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing in the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit 23b in FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing in the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit 23b in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of creating a occluding object synthesized in step S7 in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an image forming structure for explaining the shielding agent formation range synthesis process in the image forming apparatus 20A of FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an image when the front image 31 and the back image 33 are printed on one medium 30 and an example of a composite image generated by the images. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing in the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit 23d in FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus in Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an image forming structure for explaining the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing in the image forming apparatus 20B of FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing in the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing unit 23e in FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an image forming structure for explaining the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing in the image forming apparatus 20B of FIG. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing in the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing unit 23e in FIG.

  Modes for carrying out the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in light of the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are only for explanation and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

In the image forming method and the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in order to prevent the image printed with the color toner or the color ink from being shown through, the amount of the shielding agent to be applied is suppressed to reduce the amount of the shielding agent. I try to save.
Hereinafter, an image forming method and an image forming apparatus of Example 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus of Example 1)
FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic block diagrams showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a block diagram of the entire image forming apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a print processing unit in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, an image forming apparatus 20 is connected to a host apparatus 10 such as a host personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “host PC”). In general, an image forming apparatus includes a laser printer that uses a laser for photosensitivity, an LED printer that uses light from a light emitting element (hereinafter referred to as “LED”) for photosensitivity, an ink jet printer that sprays fine droplets of ink on a medium, and copying. There are machines. In the first embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 will be described using an LED printer as an example.

  The host apparatus 10 includes an application program (hereinafter simply referred to as “application”) 11 and a printer driver 12 that instructs the image forming apparatus 20 to perform printing.

  The image forming apparatus 20 includes an interface (hereinafter referred to as “I / F”) connection unit 21 connected to the upper level apparatus 10 via a network (not shown), a universal serial bus (USB), or the like. An edit processing unit 23 is connected to the I / F connection unit 21 via a reception processing unit 22. The reception processing unit 22 performs a reception process for print data sent from the host device 10 via the I / F connection unit 21. The edit processing unit 23 decodes the content of the print data received by the reception processing unit 22 to distinguish it from a command (command) and data. Depending on the content of the print data, a graphic object, a character object, a photo object, and an object , Edit color, perform color matching, determine print position and select font for decoded print data, convert to intermediate code, and display list (display list) as storage means ) 24.

  The edit processing unit 23 includes a shielding agent formation range determination processing unit 23a and a shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit 23b connected to the output side. The shielding agent formation range determination processing unit 23a has a shielding agent formation range determination processing function that stores the formation range of the shielding agent in the coordinate range from the range of each drawing object received by the reception processing unit 22. Based on the command information received by the reception processing unit 22, the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit 23 b synthesizes the shielding agent forming ranges on both sides, and prints the synthesized shielding agent formation range, formation layer thickness, and the like. It has a screening agent formation range composition processing function for storing information in the display list 115. The shielding agent is formed of, for example, white or other colored ink.

  On the output side of the display list 24, a development processing unit 25, a raster buffer 26 as storage means, and a print processing unit 27 are connected in cascade. The development processing unit 25 has a function for reading font data based on the display list 24, converting the font data into raster data (bitmap image) that can be actually printed, and storing the raster data in the raster buffer 26. The print processing unit 27 performs print processing for printing the bitmap image stored in the raster buffer 26 on a medium (for example, paper) as a print medium.

  The image forming apparatus 20 is equipped with an operation panel processing unit 28. The operation panel processing unit 28 displays the state of the image forming apparatus 20 on an LED display unit, a liquid crystal display unit (LCD unit), etc., and operates various switches and menu settings of the image forming apparatus 20 by operating attached switches. Can be done.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the print processing unit 27 includes a control unit 27a composed of a central processing unit (CPU) that performs program control of the entire print processing unit, and a transport unit controlled by the control unit 27a. 28b, a shielding agent adhering portion 27c, and a printing portion 27d. The transport unit 28b is configured by a roller or the like for transporting the medium to a predetermined position, and a shielding agent adhering unit 27c is disposed at the predetermined position. The shielding agent attaching portion 27c is configured by an ink jet head or the like for attaching the shielding agent to the conveyed medium, and the printing portion 27d is disposed on the downstream side of the medium conveyance. The printing unit 27d prints an object on a medium and a shielding agent attached to the medium to form a printed image, and includes an electrophotographic printer mechanism having an LED print head as an exposure device. Has been.

(Overall Processing of Image Forming Method of Embodiment 1)
When print data is sent from the printer driver 12 in the host apparatus 10 to the I / F connection unit 21 in the image forming apparatus 20 in FIG. 1, this print data is received by the reception processing unit 22 and is edited. 23.

  The edit processing unit 23 decodes the content of the print data received by the reception processing unit 22 to distinguish between the command and the data, and discriminates the graphic object, the character object, the photographic object and the object according to the content of the print data. Editing is performed, color matching is performed, and further, a print position is determined and fonts are selected for the decoded print data, converted into an intermediate code, and stored in the display list 24. Further, the shielding agent formation range determination processing unit 23a in the editing processing unit 23 stores the shielding agent formation range in the coordinate range from the range of each drawing object received by the reception processing unit 22. Then, based on the command information received by the reception processing unit 22, the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit 23 b synthesizes the shielding agent forming ranges on both sides, and forms the synthesized shielding agent formation range, the formation layer thickness, and the like. Is stored in the display list 115.

  The development processing unit 25 reads out font data based on the display list 24, converts it into a bitmap image that can be actually printed, and stores it in the raster buffer 26. In the print processing unit 27, the medium is transported to the shielding agent attaching unit 27c by the transport unit 27b under the control of the control unit 27a. The transport attaching unit 27c attaches the shielding agent to a predetermined portion of the medium based on the printing information such as the forming range and the forming layer thickness of the shielding agent stored in the display list 24. The medium to which the shielding agent is attached is sent to the printing unit 27d. Then, the printing unit 27d prints the bitmap image stored in the raster buffer 26 on the medium and on the shielding agent attached to the medium.

(Shielding agent formation range synthesis process of Example 1)
2A and 2B are schematic cross-sectional views showing an image forming structure for explaining the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing in the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit 23b in FIG. (A) is a figure of a comparative example, and the same figure (b) is a figure of the present Example 1. FIG.

  In the comparative example shown in FIG. 2A, the shielding agent is applied to both the front surface and the back surface of the medium 30 with a layer thickness of 100%. That is, the surface shielding agent 32 is applied to the surface of the medium 30 with a layer thickness of 100%, and the surface image 31 is formed on the upper layer. Further, the back surface shielding agent 34 is also applied to the back surface of the medium 30 with a layer thickness of 100%, and a back image 33 is formed on the upper layer to prevent back-through.

  When double-sided printing is performed by the method of this comparative example, for example, the surface shielding agent is used to shield the surface image 31 in spite of the fact that the shielding agent having a layer thickness of 100% is sufficient to prevent the back-through. The total of 200% layer thickness of the 100% layer thickness of 32 and the 100% layer thickness of the back surface shielding agent 34 prevents the back-through, and the shielding agent is wasted. .

  In order to improve this, in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2B, in the case of double-sided printing, an image obtained by inverting the image on the corresponding surface and the image on the opposite surface on one side of the front surface or the back surface of the medium 30. To generate an image. Then, the composite image shielding agent 35 is painted on the corresponding surface (for example, the back surface) so as to have a layer thickness of 100%, the back image 33 is formed on the upper layer, and the shielding agent is placed below the front surface image 31. I try not to apply it. In this way, the coating of the medium 30 on one side only prevents the double-sided back-through and eliminates the waste of the screening agent.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing in the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit 23b in FIG.

In the shielding agent formation range synthesis process, the following processes S1 to S7 are performed.
First, when the shielding agent formation range synthesis process is started, it is determined in process S1 whether or not the image forming apparatus 20 is in the double-sided printing mode. If it is in the single-sided printing mode (NO), the process proceeds to process S2, and FIG. In the case of the double-sided printing mode as shown in (b) (YES), the process proceeds to step S4. In the process S2, the layer thickness of the shielding agent is set to be filled with 100%, and the process proceeds to the process S3. In the process S3, a shielding agent drawing object for painting the shielding agent on the medium surface is created. The created shielding agent drawing object is stored in the display list 24 in FIG. 1 as print information, and the shielding agent formation range composition processing is completed. In this way, in the case of single-sided printing, the back-through prevention process by the shielding agent is performed without taking into account the information on the reverse side.

  In the case of double-sided printing as shown in FIG. 2B, it is determined in step S4 whether the currently processed page is even or odd, and if it is an odd page (NO), the process The process proceeds to S5, and if the page is an even page (YES), the process proceeds to S6. In process S5, the shielding agent formation range is temporarily stored in the display list 24 in FIG. 1, and the shielding agent formation range synthesis process is terminated. As described above, in the case of an odd-numbered page, a normal print object is created, but a shielding object is not created, and information on the shielding agent formation range is temporarily stored.

  In the case of an odd page, the shielding agent formation range of the odd page is read in step S6. In this process S6, when the page currently processed is an even number, the screen for forming the shielding agent of the previous odd page saved in advance in the process S5 is read, and the process proceeds to the process S7. In process S7, the shielding object which synthesize | combined the shielding agent formation range of the continuous page for 2 pages is produced | generated. In this process S7, when the currently processed page is an even number, the current even-numbered page shielding agent formation range and the odd-numbered page shielding agent formation range read out in step S6 are combined to create one shielding object. Then, the shielding agent formation range synthesis process is terminated.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of creating a occluding object synthesized in step S7 in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, when the front image 31 and the back image 33 are prepared for the medium 30, the composite image shielding agent 35 is generated in the process S7 in FIG. Only applied to. In the example of FIG. 2B, the composite image shielding agent 35 is applied only on the back surface.

(Effect of Example 1)
According to the first embodiment, in the case of double-sided printing, a shielding object is generated by combining the front and back shielding agent forming ranges, and the composite image shielding agent 35 is attached to only one side. Thereby, the back-through can be prevented as in the conventional technology, and the shielding agent can be saved by eliminating the waste of the shielding agent.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the composite image shielding agent 35 is not simply painted on the portion where the front and back print ranges are combined on the medium 30 as in the first embodiment, and drawing objects do not overlap on the front and back. The composite image shielding agent is filled only in the shielding agent forming range, and the consumption of the shielding agent is further suppressed to save the shielding agent.
Hereinafter, an image forming method and an image forming apparatus of Example 2 will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus of Example 2)
FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Elements common to those in FIG. 1 illustrating the first embodiment are denoted by common reference numerals.

  In the image forming apparatus 20A of the second embodiment, instead of the editing processing unit 23 in the image forming apparatus 20 of the first embodiment, an editing processing unit 23A having a different configuration and function is provided.

  The editing processing unit 23A of the second embodiment has the same shielding agent formation range determination processing unit 23a as that of the first embodiment, and on the output side, instead of the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit 23b of the first embodiment, The shielding agent overlapping range determination processing unit 23c and the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit 23d are connected. That is, a shielding agent overlapping range determination processing unit 23c and a shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit 23d different from those in Example 1 are cascaded on the output side of the screening agent formation range determination processing unit 24 similar to that in Example 1. .

  Based on the command information received by the reception processing unit 22 or the information set in the device menu by the operation panel processing unit 28, the shielding agent overlapping range determination processing unit 23c determines whether the single-sided printing mode or the double-sided printing mode. In the double-sided printing mode, it has a function of determining the range of the overlapping portion between the front-surface shielding agent coating range and the rear-surface screening agent coating range. Further, the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit 23d adjusts the layer thickness of the shielding agent at the portion where the shielding agent on the front surface and the back surface is judged by the shielding agent overlap range judgment processing unit 23c, thereby forming the shielding agent formation range. And a function of storing print information such as the formation layer thickness in the display list 24. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

(Overall Processing of Image Forming Method of Embodiment 2)
In the image forming apparatus 20A in FIG. 5, substantially the same image forming process as that of the image forming apparatus 20 in FIG.

(Shielding agent formation range synthesis process of Example 2)
FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an image forming structure for explaining the shielding agent formation range synthesis process in the image forming apparatus 20A of FIG.

  FIG. 6 shows a portion to which a shielding agent is applied when images are printed on both sides of the medium 30. When the front image 31 and the back image 33 are printed on the medium 30, the composite image shielding agent 35 </ b> A is applied to the back surface in order to prevent back-through only in a portion where the front and back images do not overlap. Yes.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an image when the front surface image 31 and the back surface image 33 of FIG. 6 are printed on one medium 30 and a composite image example generated by the images. FIG. 7 shows a composite image shielding agent 35A from which the overlap between the front surface image 31 and the back surface image 33 is removed.

  When the portion where the shielding agent is applied by the composite image shielding agent 35 of FIG. 4 showing Example 1 is seen, the portion where the image exists in the same place on the front surface and the back surface is also filled with a layer thickness of 100%. . In this case, even though the front and back images are prevented from being exposed to each other, the corresponding portions are filled with the shielding agent, so that the shielding agent is wasted. In order to improve this, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, in the case of double-sided printing, and in a portion where the surface shielding agent and the back surface shielding agent overlap, the overlapping range is removed from the composite image. Therefore, the usage amount of the shielding agent is adjusted.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing in the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit 23d in FIG. 5. Elements common to the elements in FIG. Has been.

  In the shielding agent formation range synthesis process in the shielding agent formation range synthesis unit 23d of the second embodiment, the same processes S1 to S7 as in the first embodiment and a process S8 newly added after the processing S7 are performed. Is called.

  First, when the shielding agent formation range synthesis process is started, in process S1, it is determined whether or not the image forming apparatus 20A is in the double-sided printing mode. If the single-sided printing mode is set (NO), the process proceeds to step S2, and double-sided printing is performed. In the case of mode (YES), the process proceeds to process S4. In the process S2, the layer thickness of the shielding agent is set to be filled with 100%, and the process proceeds to the process S3. In process S3, an object for painting the shielding agent on the medium surface is created. The created shielding agent drawing object is stored in the display list 24 in FIG. 5 as print information, and the shielding agent formation range composition processing is completed. In this way, in the case of single-sided printing, the back-through prevention process by the shielding agent is performed without taking into account the information on the reverse side.

  In the case of duplex printing, in process S4, it is determined whether the currently processed page is even or odd. If it is an odd page (NO), the process proceeds to process S5 and the page is even. If there is (YES), the process proceeds to S6. In process S5, the shielding agent formation range is temporarily stored in the display list 24 in FIG. As described above, in the case of an odd-numbered page, a normal print object is created, but a shielding object is not created, and the shielding agent formation range information is temporarily stored, and then the shielding agent formation range synthesis process is terminated.

  In the case of an even page, in the process S6, the shielding agent formation range of the odd page is read out. That is, when the currently processed page is an even number, the shielding agent formation range of the previous odd page saved in advance in step S5 is read, and the process proceeds to step S7. In process S7, the shielding object which synthesize | combined the shielding agent formation range of the continuous page for 2 pages is produced | generated. That is, when the currently processed page is an even number, the current even-numbered page shielding agent formation range and the odd-numbered page shielding agent formation range read out in step S6 are combined to generate a single shielding object. The process proceeds to S8.

  In the process S8, the overlapping part of the front image and the back image is removed from the occlusion object created in the process S7, and it is generated again as one occlusion object. As a result, the generated shielding object becomes a portion to be applied as a shielding agent. Thereafter, the shielding agent formation range synthesis process ends.

  In the second embodiment, no shielding agent is applied to the overlapping portion. However, in actuality, there is a possibility that show-through may occur depending on the type of medium 30, the color value of the front and back, or the color density. It can happen. Therefore, a method of applying the shielding agent with a layer thickness smaller than that of the non-overlapping portions is also conceivable.

(Effect of Example 2)
According to the second embodiment, when the drawing objects on the front surface and the back surface are combined and the shielding agent is painted on only one surface, the shielding agent overlapping range determination processing unit 23c performs the shielding agent filling range on the front surface and the shielding agent on the back surface. A comparison is made with the filled area, and the shielding agent is not applied to the overlapping portion or is applied thinly. Therefore, behind-the-scenes can be prevented as in the conventional technique, and the shielding agent can be saved by eliminating waste of the shielding agent.

In Example 1 and Example 2, when the background is filled with the shielding agent, if there is no image on the opposite side, the shielding agent is always applied with a layer thickness of 100%. In addition, since the degree of actual penetration varies depending on the color density, it is considered that it is not always necessary to apply the shielding agent with a layer thickness of 100%. Therefore, in Example 3 of the present invention, when preventing the show-through, the layer thickness concentration of the shielding agent to be painted is adjusted according to the combination and color density of the original image, and thereby the consumption of the shielding agent. To save the screening agent.
Hereinafter, an image forming method and an image forming apparatus of Example 3 will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus of Example 3)
FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Elements common to those in FIG. 5 illustrating the second embodiment are denoted by common reference numerals.

  In the image forming apparatus 20B of the third embodiment, an editing processing section 23B having a different configuration and function is provided instead of the editing processing section 23A in the image forming apparatus 20A of the second embodiment.

  The editing processing unit 23B of the third embodiment includes a shielding agent formation range determination processing unit 23a and a shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit 23d similar to those of the second embodiment, and a newly added shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing unit 23e. Are connected in cascade.

  The shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing unit 23e adjusts the layer thickness concentration of the shielding agent from the color combination and color density of the original image with respect to the combined image of the front and back surfaces generated by the shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit 23d. The print information is stored in the display list 24. Other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment.

(Overall Processing of Image Forming Method of Embodiment 3)
In the image forming apparatus 20B of FIG. 9, the image forming process substantially the same as that of the image forming apparatus 20A of FIG.

(Screening agent layer thickness adjustment process of Example 3)
FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an image forming structure for explaining the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing in the image forming apparatus 20B of FIG.

  In FIG. 10, when an image is printed on one side of the medium 30, the surface shielding agents 32-1 to 32-3 correspond to the color combinations and color densities of the surface images 31-1 to 31-3. An example of determining the layer thickness is shown. That is, on the surface of the medium 30, the surface image 31-1 is 100% of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK), and the surface image 31-2 is 100% of black (K) only, and the surface image 31-3. Is printed with only 30% yellow (Y). In order to prevent the image from being exposed through each of the surface images 31-1 to 31-3, the surface shielding agent 32-1 has a layer thickness of 100%, the surface shielding agent 32-2 has a layer thickness of 60%, And the surface shielding agent 32-3 has a layer thickness of 20% and fills the base of the printing range.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing in the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing unit 23e in FIG.

  In the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing unit 23e of the third embodiment, processing S11 to S14 are performed.

  First, when the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing is started, in processing S11, an object created for painting the shielding agent from the display list 24, and a shielding agent object that has not been subjected to the painting range adjustment, is taken out. The process proceeds to process S12. In process S12, an original image corresponding to the shielding agent object extracted in process S11 is acquired from the display list 24, and the process proceeds to process S13. In process S13, the original image extracted in process S12 is weighted according to the combination of colors used in the image and the color density, and is used for the corresponding shielding agent object according to the set weight. The density | concentration and layer thickness of a shielding agent are determined, and it transfers to process S14.

  In process S14, it is determined whether or not the adjustment of the layer thickness corresponding to the weighting has been completed for all the shielding agent objects to be filled in one page, and there is a shielding agent object for which the adjustment of the layer thickness has not been completed (NO) ), The process returns to step S11, and when the adjustment of all the shielding agent objects is completed (YES), the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing is terminated.

  In Example 3, the coating amount of the surface shielding agents 32-1 to 32-3 is reduced by changing the layer thickness for each color combination and color density. Thus, a method of reducing the amount of the surface shielding agents 32-1 to 32-3 by using a random pattern, a check pattern, an area gradation method, or the like can be considered.

(Effect of Example 3)
According to the third embodiment, when the shielding agent is filled only in the position where the drawing object exists, the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing unit 23e weights the combination of colors of the original image and each color density, and sets An appropriate amount of the surface shielding agent 32-1 to 32-3 is applied in accordance with the weighting. Thereby, the back-through can be prevented as in the conventional technique, and the shielding agent can be saved by eliminating the waste of the shielding agent.

  In Example 1 and Example 2, when the background is filled with a shielding agent, if there is no image on the reverse side, the shielding agent is always applied with a layer thickness of 100%. Depending on the type, it can be considered that it is only necessary to suppress the use of a screening agent and to adjust the degree of strikethrough.

  As an example, if the front image is text, it is highly likely that the meaning of the original image will be lost if the background is severe, but in the case of graphics or images, the image may be It is possible that you do not lose your meaning.

Therefore, in Example 4 of the present invention, the amount of shielding agent consumed is adjusted by adjusting the layer thickness concentration of the shielding agent to be filled according to the color combination and color density of the original image in order to suppress the show-through. To suppress the screening agent.
Hereinafter, an image forming method and an image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment will be described.

(Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus of Embodiment 4)
The configuration of the image forming apparatus 20B of the fourth embodiment is the same as that of FIG.

(Overall Processing of Image Forming Method of Embodiment 4)
In the image forming apparatus 20B of the fourth embodiment, an image forming process substantially similar to that of the third embodiment is performed.

(Screening agent layer thickness adjustment process of Example 4)
FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an image forming structure for explaining the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing in the image forming apparatus 20B of FIG.

  In FIG. 12, when an image is printed on one side of the medium 30, the layer thicknesses of the surface shielding agents 32-1 to 32-3 are shown corresponding to the object types of the surface images 41-1 to 41-3. An example of determination is shown. That is, on the surface of the medium 30, the surface image 41-1 is printed as text, the surface image 41-2 is printed as a graphic, and the surface image 41-3 is printed as an image. In order to prevent the image from being exposed through each of the surface images 41-1 to 41-3, the surface shielding agent 32-1 has a layer thickness of 100%, the surface shielding agent 32-2 has a layer thickness of 60%, And the surface shielding agent 32-3 has a layer thickness of 40% and covers the base of the printing range.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing in the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing unit 23e in FIG. 9. Elements common to the elements in FIG. Has been.

  The masking agent layer thickness adjustment processing in the masking agent layer thickness adjustment processing unit 23e of the fourth embodiment is different from the processing S11, S12, S14 similar to the third embodiment and the processing S13 of the third embodiment. Processing S13C is performed.

  First, when the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing is started, in step S11, an object that has been created for painting the shielding agent and that has not yet been subjected to painting area adjustment is extracted from the display list 24, and processing S12 is performed. Migrate to In process S12, an original image corresponding to the shielding agent object extracted in process S11 is acquired from the display list 24, and the process proceeds to process S13C.

  In the process S13C, the object type of the image is determined for the original image extracted in the process S12, the layer thickness concentration of the screening agent used for the screening agent object is determined according to the determined object type, and the process proceeds to the processing S14. Transition. When it is determined in process S14 whether or not the adjustment of the layer thickness determined by the object type has been completed for all the shielding agent objects to be filled in one page, and there is a shielding agent object for which the adjustment of the layer thickness has not been completed. In (NO), it returns to process S11, and if adjustment of all the shielding agent objects is complete | finished (YES), a shielding agent layer thickness adjustment process will be complete | finished.

  In Example 4, the coating amount of the surface shielding agents 32-1 to 32-3 is reduced by changing the layer thickness for each color combination and color density. Thus, a method of reducing the amount of the shielding agent by using painting by a random pattern, a check pattern, an area gradation method, or the like can be considered.

(Effect of Example 4)
According to the fourth embodiment, when the surface shielding agents 32-1 to 32-3 are painted only on the position where the drawing object exists, the shielding agent layer thickness adjustment processing unit 23e causes the type of the object of the original image to be used. Thus, an appropriate amount of the surface shielding agent 32-1 to 32-3 is applied. Thereby, the back-through can be prevented as in the conventional technique, and the surface shielding agents 32-1 to 32-3 can be more wasted and the shielding agent can be saved.

(Other variations of Examples 1 to 4)
This invention is not limited to the said Examples 1-4, A various utilization form and deformation | transformation are possible. For example, the following usage forms and modifications are as follows.

  In the first to fourth embodiments, the LED printers have been described as examples of the image forming apparatuses 20, 20A, and 20B, but the present invention is not limited to this. The LED printers 20, 20A, 20B may be modified to configurations other than those illustrated. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to other image forming apparatuses such as laser printers, ink jet printers, and copiers other than the LED printers 20, 20A, and 20B.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Host apparatus 20, 20A, 20B Image forming apparatus 23, 23A, 23B Editing process part 23a Screening agent formation range judgment processing part 23b, 23d Screening agent formation range synthetic | combination process 23c Screening agent overlapping range judgment processing part 23e Screening agent layer thickness adjustment Processing unit 27 Printing processing unit 27a Control unit 27b Conveying unit 27c Screening agent attaching unit 27d Printing unit

Claims (7)

Based on print data consisting of multiple objects,
Determining the print range of each of the plurality of objects on both the front and back surfaces of the print medium;
Determining the formation range of the shielding agent formed on the base of the print range on both sides;
Synthesize the formation range of the screening agent on the determined both sides,
When the shielding agent formation range on the front surface and the shielding agent formation range on the back surface overlap, the formation range of the shielding agent is determined so that the shielding agent is formed only on one side;
An image forming method. Based on print data consisting of multiple objects,
Determining the print range of each of the plurality of objects on both the front and back surfaces of the print medium;
Determining the formation range of the shielding agent formed on the base of the print range on both sides;
Determine the overlapping range of the determined shielding agent formation range of the front surface and the shielding agent formation range of the back surface,
Synthesize the formation range of the screening agent on the determined both sides,
Of the synthesized forming range of the shielding agent, the shielding agent is formed only on one side for the range excluding the determined overlapping range, and the shielding agent is not formed for the overlapping range. Determining the formation range of the screening agent;
An image forming method. Based on print data consisting of multiple objects,
Determining the print range of each of the plurality of objects on both the front and back surfaces of the print medium;
Determining the formation range of the shielding agent formed on the base of the print range on both sides;
Determine the overlapping range of the determined shielding agent formation range of the front surface and the shielding agent formation range of the back surface,
Synthesize the formation range of the screening agent on the determined both sides,
The shielding agent is formed only on one side of the synthesized shielding agent forming range excluding the determined overlapping range, and the shielding agent is overlapped only on one side of the overlapping range. Determining the formation range of the shielding agent so as to be formed thinner than the range excluding the range;
An image forming method. An edit processing unit that determines a print range of each object based on print data including a plurality of objects, and determines a formation range and a formation layer thickness of a shielding agent formed on a base of the print range;
The shielding agent is attached to the print medium with the determined formation range and the formation layer thickness, and the object is placed on the print medium and the attached shielding agent in the determined printing range. A print processing unit for printing and forming a print image;
Have
The edit processing unit
Based on the print data, in the case of double-sided printing of the print medium, the printing range of each object on both the front and back surfaces of the print medium is determined, and the shielding range for determining the formation range of the shielding agent on the both sides is determined. An agent formation range determination processing unit;
When the determined formation range of the shielding agent on both sides is synthesized, and the shielding agent formation range on the front surface and the shielding agent formation range on the back surface overlap, the shielding agent is applied only on one side with the formation layer thickness. A shielding agent forming range synthesis processing unit for determining a forming range and a forming layer thickness of the shielding agent so as to form;
An image forming apparatus comprising: An edit processing unit that determines a print range of each object based on print data including a plurality of objects, and determines a formation range and a formation layer thickness of a shielding agent formed on a base of the print range;
The shielding agent is attached to the print medium with the determined formation range and the formation layer thickness, and the object is placed on the print medium and the attached shielding agent in the determined printing range. A print processing unit for printing and forming a print image;
Have
The edit processing unit
Based on the print data, in the case of double-sided printing of the print medium, the printing range of each object on both the front and back surfaces of the print medium is determined, and the shielding range for determining the formation range of the shielding agent on the both sides is determined. An agent formation range determination processing unit;
A shielding agent overlapping range determination processing unit for determining an overlapping range between the determined shielding agent forming range of the front surface and the shielding agent forming range of the back surface;
The formation range of the shielding agent on the determined both surfaces is synthesized, and the shielding agent is formed on only one side of the synthesized formation range of the shielding agent except the determined overlapping range. In addition, a shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit that determines a formation range of the shielding agent so that the shielding agent is not formed for the overlapping range;
An image forming apparatus comprising: An edit processing unit that determines a print range of each object based on print data including a plurality of objects, and determines a formation range and a formation layer thickness of a shielding agent formed on a base of the print range;
The shielding agent is attached to the print medium with the determined formation range and the formation layer thickness, and the object is placed on the print medium and the attached shielding agent in the determined printing range. A print processing unit for printing and forming a print image;
Have
The edit processing unit
Based on the print data, in the case of double-sided printing of the print medium, the printing range of each object on both the front and back surfaces of the print medium is determined, and the shielding range for determining the formation range of the shielding agent on the both sides is determined. An agent formation range determination processing unit;
A shielding agent overlapping range determination processing unit for determining an overlapping range between the determined shielding agent forming range of the front surface and the shielding agent forming range of the back surface;
The formation range of the shielding agent on the determined both surfaces is synthesized, and the shielding agent is formed on only one side of the synthesized formation range of the shielding agent except the determined overlapping range. A shielding agent formation range synthesis processing unit that determines the formation range of the shielding agent so that the shielding agent is formed thinner than the range excluding the overlapping range only on one side with respect to the overlapping range;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The print processing unit
A transport unit for transporting the print medium to a predetermined position;
A shielding agent attaching portion for attaching the shielding agent to the conveyed printing medium;
A printing unit that forms the print image on the print medium and on the attached shielding agent;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

Images