Abstract: The invention distinguishes not only character areas and halftone dot areas in an image, but also makes highly accurate decisions concerning characters present in halftone dot areas. A decision signal generating unit generates a decision signal having luminance as a main component from a signal indicating inputted image data, and supplies the decision signal to a character decision unit, a halftone dot decision unit, and a character-in-halftone dot decision unit. The character decision unit generates data indicating whether a pixel of interest is inside a character image area. The halftone dot decision unit generates data indicating whether a pixel of interest is inside a halftone dot area. The character-in-halftone dot decision unit generates data indicating whether there is a character image inside the halftone dot area. Based on these three signals, an attribute flag generating unit generates attribute data of the pixel of interest.

Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus that makes it possible to supply power only for a function desired by the user. A CPU causes a display unit to display a plurality of functions of the information processing apparatus in a manner being selectable. Information on at least one function selected from the plurality of functions via a screen displayed by the display unit is input. The CPU controls power supply relating to the input at least one function, based on the information on the at least one function.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus extracts DC components of an image, generates a histogram of the extracted DC components, and detects a background level of the image based on the histogram.

Abstract: A combination to minimize moiré can be determined theoretically or empirically in four-color printing, but it is very difficult to find a combination to minimize moiré in printing using five or more colors. To solve this problem, image data is color-separated into image data corresponding to plural colorant. Multilevel dither processing is performed to the image data corresponding to the plural colorant. At this time, dither matrices having the same screen angle, the same screen ruling, and different threshold setting methods are applied to the respective image data corresponding to dark colorant and light colorant having the same hue and different lightness values.

Abstract: When color materials of more than four colors are used, a signal for the amount of toner used within a range appropriate for the apparatus and toner characteristic is generated using a color separation table. However, a printer receives print data of various formats, such as image data separated into signal values of more than four colors, or image data of a special format to which a six-color separation table cannot be applied. Hence, an image signal representing a combination of colors is input. The sum of the signal values of colors in each pixel of the image signal is calculated and compared with a limit value. When the sum exceeds the limit value, the signal values of base colors are replaced with that of a spot color based on a replacement table for replacing the signal values of the base colors with that of the spot color.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus configured to generate image data for forming an image using a plurality of color materials of similar colors and of different densities includes a gradation changing unit configured to conduct a gradation changing process for changing gradation of C, M, Y, and K signals of an image and a color separation unit configured to conduct a color separation process for separating color component data for a dark color material into color component data for a dark color material and color component data for a light color material. The gradation changing unit is configured to conduct the gradation changing process before the color separation unit conducts the color separation process.

Abstract: There is known a technique of inputting the contents of image data and the use purpose of a print material and automatically selecting a combination of color materials appropriate for them. However, it cannot be confirmed before printing whether improvement of image quality commensurate with the cost and labor to input contents information can be obtained. To solve this problem, the ratio of the amount of the color material of a spot color used to that of the color materials of process colors used in input image data is calculated. The recommendation grade of printing using the spot color is determined on the basis of the ratio. Further, display of the recommendation grade is controlled.

Abstract: A full-color image input from an external apparatus can undergo an optimal adaptive process using an image area separation circuit mounted in a color copying machine main body, and also attribute map information, thus providing a higher-quality image. When a color copying machine (18) prints an image such as a computer graphics image sent from a host computer (10), a raster image processor (13) renders bitmap data of a given recording color on an image memory (15) on the basis of that print data, and stores attribute information in an attribute map memory (16) in units of pixels. The color copying machine (18) forms an image on the basis of image data of respective recording color components, which are frame-sequentially input from the raster image processor (13), and attribute information from the attribute map memory (16).

Abstract: A data communication apparatus which is capable of preventing reception of undesired data by a destination without increasing the load on a network, etc. Data and a destination thereof are input. A sender ID related to a sender who sends the input data is input. The input data is sent to the input destination. A sender ID for data transmission to the input destination is permitted is stored as a permission ID. The input sender ID is collated with the stored permission ID. Whether to permit data transmission is determined according to the collation result.

Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus that makes it possible to supply power only for a function desired by the user. A CPU causes a display unit to display a plurality of functions of the information processing apparatus in a manner being selectable. Information on at least one function selected from the plurality of functions via a screen displayed by the display unit is input. The CPU controls power supply relating to the input at least one function, based on the information on the at least one function.