Abstract: A relief printing plate manufacturing method includes: generating binary image data based on multivalued image data representing a printing image; generating, from the binary image data, target stereoscopic shape data; calculating, based on the target stereoscopic shape data, exposure amount data; providing a predetermined exposure amount to an outside image adjacent pixel in a range of predetermined pixels adjacent to an ON pixel; and applying laser light to an area of OFF pixels based on the exposure amount data to engrave a portion outside of an area, and applying laser light to the outside image adjacent pixel based on the predetermined exposure amount to form a relief having a projecting shape with a corner part of a flange part of a top face of the relief at least partially chamfered.

Abstract: A relief printing plate manufacturing method includes: generating binary image data based on multivalued image data representing a printing image; generating, from the binary image data, target stereoscopic shape data; calculating, based on the target stereoscopic shape data, exposure amount data; providing a predetermined exposure amount to an outside image adjacent pixel in a range of predetermined pixels adjacent to an ON pixel; and applying laser light to an area of OFF pixels based on the exposure amount data to engrave a portion outside of an area, and applying laser light to the outside image adjacent pixel based on the predetermined exposure amount to form a relief having a projecting shape with a corner part of a flange part of a top face of the relief at least partially chamfered.

Abstract: A relief printing plate includes: a plate material; and a relief formed on the plate material. The relief includes: a cap part including the top face; and a frustum part configured to support the cap part. The cap part includes: the top face including a flat surface parallel to a horizontal plane orthogonal to a gravitational direction when the top face is oriented upward; a cap chamfered part including a flange part of the top face, the flange part at least partially chamfered to form a curved surface not perpendicular to the top face; and a cap steep part formed downward from the cap chamfered part in the gravitational direction at a steep angle nearly perpendicular to the top face. The frustum part has a shape thicker than the cap steep part, and a cross sectional area of the frustum part gradually increases toward a bottom of the relief.

Abstract: An evaluation apparatus includes an image reproduction section, which obtains a reproduction image by reproducing an original image with a plurality of color elements visually mixed for defining colors, and which obtains a plurality of reproduction images respectively corresponding to twelve types of color element groups having different types of color elements and/or different numbers of color elements from one another. The apparatus also includes a calculation section which calculates a level of a difference between colors of each of the plurality of reproduction images and colors of the original image; and a display section which displays the level of the difference calculated by the difference calculation section.

Abstract: An image forming method that forms an image by using inks of secondary chromatic colors based on an input image, the method including: forming a test pattern that uses a color chart with the entire secondary chromatic colors of the used inks by using a normal color conversion table for converting a first color space of the input image into a second color space of the formed image; comparing data obtained by scanning the formed test pattern with second color space data of the test pattern, and identifying a non-matching color portion as a non-ejection color and a line position containing a non-ejection nozzle thereof; preparing a special color conversion table, the special color conversion table being provided for each omission ink; and setting and using the special color conversion table for an omission ink corresponding to the non-ejection color at the line position containing the identified non-ejection nozzle.

Abstract: An evaluation apparatus includes an image reproduction section, which obtains a reproduction image by reproducing an original image with a plurality of color elements visually mixed for defining colors, and which obtains a plurality of reproduction images respectively corresponding to twelve types of color element groups having different types of color elements and/or different numbers of color elements from one another. The apparatus also includes a calculation section which calculates a level of a difference between colors of each of the plurality of reproduction images and colors of the original image; and a display section which displays the level of the difference calculated by the difference calculation section.

Abstract: The present invention selects color materials for a virtual device from real color materials, adjusts a gray balance to obtain a predetermined black color at a maximum device value by using selected color materials, assigns a color material amount to each device value so that a relation between the device value and brightness becomes linear when outputting gray, and evaluates a color range reproducible by the virtual device with the assigned color material amount by an inclusion rate for a standard color group so as to start the process all over again from selection of the color materials if evaluation is poor. It thus obtains the color reproduction definition of the virtual device and performs the color conversion including gamut mapping using the color reproduction definition.

Abstract: In creating color conversion definition in which correspondence relation between coordinates in a first color space and coordinates in a second color space is defined, high-accuracy color conversion definition is created in a method with a high degree of freedom of a known-point pair and with high versatility. By solving a formula in which, for any two coordinate points in a first color space, mutual relation between coordinates in a second color space corresponding to the coordinates is generally specified, with data of points for which mutual relationship has been determined as a boundary condition, and with arbitrarily set nonlinearity added, each coordinate in the second color space corresponding to each coordinate in the first color space is calculated.

Abstract: An image forming method that forms an image by using inks of secondary chromatic colors based on an input image, the method including: forming a test pattern that uses a color chart with the entire secondary chromatic colors of the used inks by using a normal color conversion table for converting a first color space of the input image into a second color space of the formed image; comparing data obtained by scanning the formed test pattern with second color space data of the test pattern, and identifying a non-matching color portion as a non-ejection color and a line position containing a non-ejection nozzle thereof; preparing a special color conversion table, the special color conversion table being provided for each omission ink; and setting and using the special color conversion table for an omission ink corresponding to the non-ejection color at the line position containing the identified non-ejection nozzle.

Abstract: A color conversion definition correction apparatus corrects a color conversion definition defining a relation between first color data representative of a color by coordinates on a first color space and second color data representative of a color by coordinates on a second color space in such a manner that a plurality of first color data has a one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of second color data. A smoothing processing is applied to the second color data. A color difference between the reference color set up and a color represented by the second color data subjected to the smoothing processing is determined. The second color data subjected to the smoothing processing is corrected, when the color difference is larger than the reference color difference, in such a manner that a color difference between a color represented by the second color data and the reference color is small.

Abstract: Even if the color of a print sheet to be actually used for printing is lighter than the color of a sheet according to a given standard printing profile, a printer outputs a proof on a dedicated sheet where the difference between the sheet colors has been corrected. Specifically, after input image data are converted to colorimetric data by a printing profile, the difference between the sheet colors is corrected by one-dimensional LUTs. Input/output gradients (straight lines) incorporated in the one-dimensional LUTs are represented by X?/X0, Y?/Y0, Z?/Z0 where X?, Y?, Z? indicate colorimetric values of the color of the print sheet to be actually used for printing and X0, Y0, Z0 indicate colorimetric values of the color of a standard print sheet used to generate the print profile. The difference between the sheet color according to the standard printing profile and the sheet color to be actually used for printing thus becomes corrected.

Abstract: A display apparatus displays on a two-dimensional basis or a three-dimensional basis points within an L*a*b* space associated with lattice points of a CMYK color space.

Abstract: A color reproduction characteristic display apparatus displays a color chart. When a mouse cursor is placed on any one of a plurality of color patches constituting the color chart, there are displayed a coordinate value in a CMYK color space associated with the color patch designated by the mouse cursor and a color difference to determine two coordinates on a color space of L*a*b*, said two coordinates being associated with the coordinate value and two sorts of devices as well.

Abstract: In a patch color comparison apparatus, a frequency analyzer computes occurrence frequency of colors in portions of an image represented by a device-dependent color space, the color appearing in every one of plural areas of the device-dependent color space. A color patch train creator creates a color patch train where plural color patches having a color representing each of the plural areas is arranged in order of the computed occurrence frequency and associates the color patch train with the image. A color data saver obtains a reference color data where each color of the plural color patches is represented by a device-independent color space, and saves the reference color data associated with the image. A color data comparator obtains colorimetric data where each color of plural color patches constituting the color patch train is represented by the device-independent color space and compares the colorimetric data with the reference color data.

Abstract: In creating color conversion definition in which correspondence relation between coordinates in a first color space and coordinates in a second color space is defined, high-accuracy color conversion definition is created in a method with a high degree of freedom of a known-point pair and with high versatility. By solving a formula in which, for any two coordinate points in a first color space, mutual relation between coordinates in a second color space corresponding to the coordinates is generally specified, with data of points for which mutual relationship has been determined as a boundary condition, and with arbitrarily set nonlinearity added, each coordinate in the second color space corresponding to each coordinate in the first color space is calculated.

Abstract: The present invention selects color materials for a virtual device from real color materials, adjusts a gray balance to obtain a predetermined black color at a maximum device value by using selected color materials, assigns a color material amount to each device value so that a relation between the device value and brightness becomes linear when outputting gray, and evaluates a color range reproducible by the virtual device with the assigned color material amount by an inclusion rate for a standard color group so as to start the process all over again from selection of the color materials if evaluation is poor. It thus obtains the color reproduction definition of the virtual device and performs the color conversion including gamut mapping using the color reproduction definition.

Abstract: A conversion table is generated for converting image data D to be processed by a first device into image data D? to be processed by a second device for thereby generating a proof. The conversion table saves an area percentage of an image of black produced from only the image data K by the first device, at the image data K=0% or 100%. Using the conversion table, the image data D is converted into the image data D? to generate a proof with the area percentage of black being saved.

Abstract: For converting color data to be processed by a first device into color data to be processed by a second device, using a color conversion table, a constraint condition is set between the color data, and a color conversion table between at least portions of the color data is generated according to the constraint conditions, whereas a color conversion table between remainders of the color data is generated in calorimetric association therewith.

Abstract: There are disclosed a profile producing method and a profile producing apparatus for producing a profile representative of the association between the colors on a color image and the color data in accordance with which the color image is outputted, in an output device such as a color printer and a printing machine for outputting color images in accordance with image data including color data. From among a plurality of existing profiles (tables), a suitable table is selected in accordance with an evaluation based on dot gains. A new profile is produced in accordance with the selected table and colorimetry data of a color chart involved in small number of patches.

Abstract: A color conversion definition correction apparatus corrects a color conversion definition defining a relation between first color data representative of a color by coordinates on a first color space and second color data representative of a color by coordinates on a second color space in such a manner that a plurality of first color data has a one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of second color data. A smoothing processing is applied to the second color data. A color difference between the reference color set up and a color represented by the second color data subjected to the smoothing processing is determined. The second color data subjected to the smoothing processing is corrected, when the color difference is larger than the reference color difference, in such a manner that a color difference between a color represented by the second color data and the reference color is small.