Abstract: A method for creating and managing customized print media through an enhanced content management process is disclosed. A print media customer, which may be an individual or organization, is profiled to determine content preferences. Profiling may be based on face-to-face or electronic surveys, Internet usage patterns, buying patterns, or other criteria. Content associated with the preferences is obtained and analyzed. Content affinities, or relationships between the content and other content in a content network, are determined, and may influence the print media produced. A history of the content is maintained, to ensure content is not duplicated. Both substantive and non-substantive content, such as advertising content, is used. Both the content and layout of the print media can be customized.

Abstract: When a memory card MC is inserted into slot, a control circuit of a color printer acquires and analyzes graphics processing control information GC from the memory card MC. A CPU corrects standard values for image quality parameters indicating graphics data qualities, to reflect the graphics processing control information GC. The CPU corrects image quality parameters to bring them into approximation with the corrected standard values, and adjusts image quality of the graphics data to reflect the corrected image quality parameters.

Abstract: There is described an image-processing apparatus, which makes it possible to compensate for the defect pixel without causing a sense of incongruity in the image. The apparatus includes an image signal acquiring section to acquire the image signals representing an image recorded on a recording medium, a recognizing section to recognize a presence or absence of a defect pixel possibly included in the image signals and a compensating section to compensate for the defect pixel. The compensating section compensates for the defect pixel so that first order differential values of image signals of the defect pixel and those of non-defect pixels adjacent to the defect pixel continue to each other. The compensating section applies a multi-resolution conversion processing to the image signals so as to decompose them into high frequency band components and a low frequency band component, signal intensities of which are compensated for.

Abstract: It enables a user to confirm an already designated area without changing layers. Image data of plural layers is generated on a same image, and an image area being a target of editing is designated on the image data of each layer. Then, if the image area of one layer is designated, a CRT controller causes a CRT to display the image area of each layer designated before the image area of the one layer is designated, in a predetermined display method different from a display method for the designated image area of the one layer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image processing technique for improving dot dispersion in highlight areas and shadow areas in an error diffusion method. The image processing device of the invention has a plurality of types of error diffusion matrices with different diffusion ranges, and selects a matrix depending on the error that has occurred, which is then used to diffuse the error into peripheral pixels. Of the plurality of error diffusion matrices, the matrix having the widest diffusion range is a matrix that diffuses error with bias in the raster direction (specifically, a matrix having a directivity factor of 2.0 or higher).

Abstract: A system and method for calculating the toner usage of a multifunction peripheral device using software and the compressed form of the raster image without uncompressing the image. The method enables the calculation of toner usage based on the statistics of actual colorant consumption while minimizing the approximation error. The compressed image data includes encoded data representing an image mapped onto a first color space. The received compressed image is analyzed to generate a pixel count of each color associated with the image corresponding to a color in the first color space. In the event of a different device color space, the pixel count is translated to a second color space, and an aggregate pixel count is calculated. When statistical data from actual operations is available, table data on the earlier usage is compared with the pixel count calculated, resulting in an approximate toner usage having low approximation error.

Abstract: Method for shading one of a first plurality of sensing elements of an optical sensor. High-reflectivity and low-reflectivity reference values of the output signal of each of a second plurality of sensing elements of the sensor are obtained. An average or nominal high-reflectivity value of the high-reflectivity reference values for each sensing element of the second plurality is calculated. An average or nominal low-reflectivity value of the low-reflectivity reference values for each sensing element of the second plurality is calculated. An offset value for one of the sensing elements of the first plurality is calculated using at least the average or nominal high-reflectivity values and the average or nominal low-reflectivity values. The one sensing element of the first plurality is calibrated using at least the calculated offset value. In one example, the first plurality and the second plurality are identical.

Abstract: An interpreter portion obtains page description language data that includes image data of an image source and image-size specifying data of both the image source and a device image. The interpreter portion generates intermediate data based on the image data of the image source and the image-size specifying data. If the image-size specifying data specifies enlargement from the image source to the device image, the interpreter portion generates the intermediate data that includes intermediate image data that is the same data as the image source data and enlargement ratio data. A rasterize portion generates print data in an output memory based on the intermediate data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for printing and/or displaying a customer image order in which a digital record of a customer order containing a plurality of images is obtained. Digital enhancement is made to at least one of the plurality of images. The amount of digital enhancement made to each of the images enhanced is determined and a rating based on the amount of correction made to each image is obtained. The customer image order is printed with at least one enhancement print and one without any enhancement so that they can be compared.

Abstract: This invention has as its object to provide an image processing apparatus and method which can reliably and appropriately insert a page break by a simple process. To accomplish this, it is checked if the number of lines transferred to a printer is smaller than a page break reference line count N. N is a value equal to or smaller than a value obtained by subtracting the number of vertical dots of a maximum font that a browse task can rasterize from a maximum recordable line count Max. When data for the page break reference line count N or more have been transferred to the printer, it is checked if data of the transferred line has the same color. If the data for one line have the same color, it can be determined that the line does not contain any character (the spacing between neighboring lines). Hence, if a page break is inserted at that line, characters can be prevented from being printed across two pages.

Abstract: The system for selecting a best device for rendering a color document involves first determining the types of color data included in the color document to be printed. Once the type of color data has been determined, the color characteristics are matched against the strengths of the available output devices to obtain a list of devices best suited for this particular color print job. At least one device from the list of best devices is selected and the color document is rendered onto the selected device. Preferably, the types of color data involved are determined by the mix of defined colorimetry and undefined colorimetry in the color document. Alternatively, the types of color data are determined by analyzing the colorspaces in the document (i.e., RGB, CMYK, LAB, XYZ, etc.), and the embedded profiles, if any, in the document (e.g., sRGB, SWOPCMYK, Euroscale).

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for characterizing laser beam process direction position errors in an electrophotographic device. Once the process direction position errors of a given beam laser beam system have been characterized, an image is adjusted or warped prior to being processed by the laser beam system to compensate for laser beam process direction position errors, e.g., bow and skew.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of image data processing that includes determining whether the image data indicates photodiode saturation, and removing contouring from the image data caused by the saturation. The contour artifact removal is accomplished by adding a random number to adjusted photodiode data from an extended range imager when the data from the imager indicates that the photodiode has been saturated. The adjusted photodiode data is a sum of photodiode data and spillover rate adjusted diffusion data.

Abstract: A method for selecting a halftoning mode to be applied to regions within an image. The method operates on received image data to identify low-level regions within the received image data. The low-level regions are defined and separated by edges. Pixels that are not separated by edges are considered to belong to the same region. After the regions have been identified, low-level image attributes for the image data within each region are compiled. A halftoning method suited for the image data within the region can be selected based upon low-level image attributes.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for digital image compensation wherein the image is divided into tiles, at least one of the tiles employing a rectfill. Compensation is provided by reducing the size of the rectfill at the edges by half a pixel all around. As a result, any minor overlaps of adjacent pixels are eliminated, resulting in only the correct pixels being filled.

Abstract: According to one aspect, a printer supports transparency operations by generating mask data at interpretation stage which indicates whether each bit of a page content would be determined by the result of a raster operation or a prior destination value. The mask data can be used to complete quickly rendering of a page image once the rendering starts. Another aspect enables color fills of objects to be performed efficiently. A raster operations engine may determine whether all the points (pixels) of the object would have the same value if the raster operation is performed. If all pixels would have the same value, the value for only one pixel is computed and used for multiple pixels of the object. According to another aspect, when a pattern is to be tiled on an entire image portion, the pattern data is stored in a memory and provided as an input to rendering operation multiple times.

Abstract: An image processing method and apparatus for enhancing the quality of a printed image without degrading overall printer performance or throughput by simulating 2 bit pel printing on a bi-level printer using intelligent double dotting. The present invention allows a bi-level printer to print an 2N dpi 1 bit-per-pel image through intelligent double dotting, thus enhancing the half resolution rendered image to approach the print quality as if the image were rendered at full resolution. In one embodiment, an enhanced resolution mode which uses a bi-level printer's 1200 dpi mode to print 600 dpi, 2 bit-per-pel images, results in an image having higher resolution quality than rendering the image using traditional halftone methods at either 600 dpi or 1200 dpi. Image enhancement through higher order resolution multiplication is also disclosed.

Abstract: A data processing method for a color management module (CMM), applying to image processing, including dividing an object data respectively into a meta file data, a CMM profile data and a screening/half-toning table. The meta file data is processed by a firmware of a printer, while the CMM profile data and the screening/half-toning table are processed by an application specification integrated circuit in the printer, thereby shortening the total time of data processing and thus improving the printing speed.

Abstract: An error diffusion processing circuit includes an error diffusion processing unit and a noise signal unit. The error diffusion processing unit generates a first output image signal of a first pixel by carrying out an error diffusion process, based on an inputted first input image signal of the first pixel. The number of gray tones of the first output image signal is smaller than that of the input image signal. The noise signal unit which generates a noise signal and outputs the noise signal to the error diffusion processing unit. The noise signal is inputted into a feedback loop of the error diffusion process.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus and method for performing appropriate attribute determination on a wide area of image data with a simple configuration of the apparatus and performing high-quality image forming are provided. A luminance signal of each pixel of a multi-valued image is inputted to the original document reading unit, and a color attribute of a pixel of interest is determined by the pixel attribute determination unit based on the luminance signal. In the main controller, the array attribute number determined in accordance with an array of the color attribute is counted with respect to 32 lines of a block, which is obtained by dividing a band having 64 lines of the multi-valued image into 8 blocks in the main scanning direction, and the determined color attribute is counted. Based on the counted value, a parameter indicative of an image characteristic of the block is calculated. Based on the counted value and the calculated parameter, an image attribute of the block is determined.