Abstract: An image shifter creates plural pairs of shift image data. A shading corrector and a halftone dot processor create halftone shift image data from shift images. Further, a difference image creator creates halftone common image data which is a common part of a pair of halftone shift image data, and creates halftone positive difference image data and halftone negative difference image data each of which is a difference between the halftone common image data and one of a pair of halftone shift image data. A composite image creator synthesizes the halftone common image data corresponding to an amount of positional deviation, and the halftone positive difference image data or halftone negative difference image data. A controller executes printing on web paper. Since the image data is only synthesized, processing load can be lightened even if printing is performed to restrain positional deviations.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of print heads, a sensor, a processor, and an image forming unit. The plurality of print heads are arranged in parallel. The sensor detects a color shift amount of each color to be printed by the plurality of print heads in a main scanning direction based on an output result of a test pattern by the plurality of print heads. The processor sets a color shift correction value for correcting the color shift amount on the basis of a color having a largest color shift amount. The processor controls light emission of the plurality of print heads based on the color shift correction value and image data. The image forming unit forms an image based on the image data on a sheet by light emission of the plurality of print heads.

Abstract: A method of processing a contone image for single-pass printing uses a printing system having first and second aligned printheads supplied with a same ink. The method includes the steps of: providing the contone image at a first resolution in a printing direction; dithering the contone image using a combined dither pattern to provide a full halftone image at the first resolution; dividing the full halftone image into first and second halftone images at a second resolution in the printing direction, the second resolution being less than the first resolution; and sending the first and second halftone images to respective first and second printheads for printing. The combined dither pattern is a combination of a first dither pattern for the first printhead and a second dither pattern for the second printhead, the first dither pattern being different than the second dither pattern.

Abstract: Certain examples described herein relate to generating a Neugebauer Primary area coverage (NPac) vector. In certain cases, an operating state of a printing system is determined. A first NPac vector is obtained, having an initial set of Neugebauer Primaries (NPs). The initial set of NPs comprise a NP that is not implementable with the operating state. A target set of NPs is determined on the basis of the operating state, the target set of NPs being implementable with the operating state. A second NPac vector is generated, the second NPac vector having the target set of NPs.

Abstract: A color printing system includes a color management server and one or more printing devices. The color management server manages color printing resources among the printing devices. A test chart is printed at a printing device and used to capture calibration measurement data. Calibration settings are defined for the calibration measurement data. A tone reproduction curve (TRC) is generated based on the calibration measurement data and the calibration settings. The TRC is stored with the TRC settings and calibration measurement data to be used at a printing device. The TRC settings are edited and the TRC associated with the measurement data is updated or regenerated to reflect the edited settings. More than one TRC is updated with the new settings if it uses the measurement data.

Abstract: Target color table generated from source color tables. A first significance factor is assigned to a first node in a first source color table. The first node in the first source color table corresponds with a color input in a first color space and provides a first print substance formulation in a second color space. A second significance factor is assigned to a second node in a second source color table. The second node in the second source color table corresponds with the color input in the first color space and provides a second print substance formulation in the second color space. A third node in target color table is generated from the first and second nodes based on the first and second significance factors. The third node corresponds with the color input in the first color space and provides a third print substance formulation in the second color space.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus that transmits print data and a print quality requirement to a control system that controls a printing apparatus to output a printed product satisfying required print quality, includes a reception unit configured to receive print data, a display control unit configured to display, on a display unit, a user interface that prompts a user to select a setting of print quality of the print data from among predetermined options, a generation unit configured to generate quality requirement data suitable for an option selected via the user interface, and a transmission unit configured to transmit, to the control system, the print data received by the reception unit and the quality requirement data generated by the generation unit, wherein the quality requirement data includes at least information indicating an acceptable range of a color difference between a standard color value and a colorimetric value of the printed product.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus corrects a measured value obtained by measuring a measurement image formed using a printing element configured to discharge ink, the measured value being used to identify a density characteristic of the printing element. The image processing apparatus obtains a measured value; and corrects the measured value based on a density of the measurement image.

Abstract: This invention falls within the scope of steganography, i.e., encoding of information (such as a text) into other information, for example, an image. It is the object of this invention a computational method for generating at least one image with coded information comprising the steps of: i) associating an information to be coded to a plurality of graphic elements, each of the graphic elements consisting of a symbol out of a plurality of symbols, thus generating a pattern of graphic elements and ii) generating at least one image comprising at least one pattern obtained from step i). This method introduces a consistent and highly flexible way of encoding information into an image. Additionally, this invention has also as object a system associated to the said method, images obtained from the said method, as well as a reading method and system thereof.

Abstract: A recording device includes a head including a first nozzle row that discharges a plurality of drawing inks; and a second nozzle row that discharges an overcoat ink posterior to the drawing inks, and also includes a dot-data generating unit that performs dot-data generating processing including halftone processing using a dither mask. When generating dot data used to perform recording in accordance with a first recording mode in which no nozzle that discharges the overcoat ink is assigned to part of pixels in a recording target region of the recording medium, the first recording mode being a recording mode using the second nozzle row, the dot-data generating unit generates the dot data by using a first overcoat dither mask having a threshold value set so as not to form a dot with the overcoat ink on the part of pixels.

Abstract: There are disclosed techniques for error diffusion for printing. For example, there is disclosed a device comprising a pixel selector, to select a pixel from an image to be printed, wherein the pixel is associated to a group of device state probabilities, wherein each device state probability describes a probability of choosing a particular device state, wherein each device state describes the quantity of each colorant to be used in correspondence of the pixel. The device may comprise a device state determiner, to choose the device state for the selected pixel on the basis of the device state probabilities associated to the selected pixel. The device may comprise a feedback chain, to diffuse device state probability errors to pixels to be subsequently selected. The feedback chain may include a selected pixel error determiner, to determine device state probability errors for each device state probability of the selected pixel.

Abstract: An image processing is configured to convert a color of a first object into gray having first brightness and a color of a second object into gray having second brightness lower than the first brightness by a fixed value in response to receiving color data including the first object and the second object, and output gray data based on the first brightness of gray into which the color of the first object is converted and the second brightness of gray into which the color of the second object is converted.

Abstract: An operation panel unit is used for an image forming apparatus. The operation panel unit is configured to input various control instructions to the image forming apparatus. The operation panel unit includes a display portion, an NFC reading portion, and a USB port. The NFC reading portion and the USB port are disposed on different surfaces of the display portion.

Abstract: On a recording sheet of a first size, an image combined with gradation patches of a plurality of colors is printed, on a recording sheet of a second size smaller than the first size, images combined with the gradation patches of the plurality of colors are divided and printed into a plurality of recording sheets, color measurement is performed on each of the gradation patches, and gradation correction data is generated.

Abstract: A method for building a security image for a security structure of a security document from multiplexing color images, including selecting a marking method capable of producing sets of colors on the security document comprising different colors that can be displayed according to illumination/observation modes of the security structure, establishing a plurality of color sets that can be displayed by the security structure in a plurality of the different illumination/observation modes, distributing the color sets in a plurality of groups of color sets, establishing combinations of groups of color sets having at least one color set in common across the number of different illumination/observation modes, selecting a combination of a group of color sets based on the number of desired illumination/observation modes and the number of colors per color image, and determining the color images to multiplex by means of the combination of the group of color sets selected.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an image region dividing portion which determines, within an image formable width, an image boundary position that matches with one of matrix boundaries corresponding to boundaries between dither matrices, and sets image adjustment regions. The image forming apparatus also includes a correction processing portion which uses common calibration data to determine imaginary adjustment regions positioned closest to the image adjustment regions, respectively, in a main scanning direction, and uses a correction amount for the determined imaginary adjustment region to correct the position in a sub-scanning direction, thereby reducing a color shift. The image region dividing portion determines the image boundary position by applying a rounding function to a value obtained by dividing the number of pixels constituting a width of the image adjustment region by the number of pixels in one cycle of the dither matrix in the main scanning direction.

Abstract: Certain examples described herein relate to a color processing apparatus and a method of generating configuration data for a color rendering device. The color rendering device operates based on color state instructions indicating output color states for portions of a rendered output. Render data may be generated by applying a halftone matrix and color data may indicate probability values for the output color states for input image areas corresponding to the portions of the rendered output. In described examples, configuration data defines an order of output color states for application of the halftone matrix. In the order, the output color states are grouped within the data based on color properties of a rendered output and an order within the clusters is based on colorant composition.

Abstract: A color management system includes an external apparatus and a printing apparatus. The external apparatus includes a first controller including a first processor and a first memory to send a color verification setting, including at least sheet information, that is set for a color verification operation, and a color verification execution condition that is set for the color verification operation to the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus includes a second controller including a second processor and a second memory to receive the color verification setting and the color verification execution condition from the external apparatus, print a chart image on a sheet corresponding to the sheet information included in the color verification setting in accordance with having satisfied the color verification execution condition, measure the chart image printed on the sheet, and transmit data obtained by a measurement of the chart image to the external apparatus.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus can perform color calibration by using a reference document generated with use of ink and an external colorimeter. An image reading unit reads an image on a document and generates image data. An image forming unit forms an image on an image forming medium by using CMY toners. A color calibration processing unit sets a correction coefficient by using a spectral reflectance of the reference document in a visible band, and a spectral reflectance in the visible band of a toner image formed on the image forming medium with use of toner. The color calibration processing unit also performs correction by multiplying the correction coefficient with a gradation value of each of RGB, generates a conversion formula from the each gradation value of RGB to each device-independent value, and generates a color profile by using the conversion formula.

Abstract: A print management system having a control apparatus and an image forming apparatus with sheet feeding cassettes includes a sheet data registration unit to register sheet data indicating an attribute of each print sheet, a sheet feeding cassette selection unit to select a sheet feeding cassette, and a sheet data selection unit to select sheet data about at least one type of print sheet from the registered sheet data. An adjustment value setting unit sets adjustment value information during image formation while feeding the selected print sheet and a database setting unit sets, in association with each other, the attribute of the selected sheet feeding cassette, the selected sheet data about the print sheet, and the set adjustment value information. The database setting unit allows setting to one piece of sheet data adjustment value information about each sheet feeding cassette selected by the sheet feeding cassette selection unit.