Abstract: For a low saturation and high density region in a printed sheet identified based on rasterized data, flushing ejection is executed, with landing positions dispersed in the region. For a region being low in saturation but not high in density, an edge portion of the region is determined as landing positions. During these processes, adjustment is made to the ejection from inkjet nozzels for color components which are not to be subjected to the flushing ejection, to maintian the original hue of the region. This achieves the flushing ejection minimizing the degradation of the quality of the printed sheet. Further, in the variable printing, necessity of the flushing ejection is judged based on details to be printed on a base page. This causes the evacution of the flushing ejection whenever individual printed sheets are produced. Therefore, the print quality is held uniform during the production of different printed sheets.

Abstract: After the front surface of a web is printed by a first-side printing unit, the web is shifted in the direction of its width by a direction-changing unit, flipped over by rollers, and transported to a second-side printing unit, where the back surface of the web is printed. A sensor detects a displacement between the second-side printing unit and the web or marks printed on the web. According to the amount and direction of displacement detected by the sensor, a printing unit body is shifted in the direction of the web width, and the web traveling as opposed to the first-side printing unit is shifted in the direction of its width by an edge guide.

Abstract: A carriage, which moves an inkjet head group composed of a plurality of inkjet head arrays laid approximately perpendicular to a printing paper transport direction, carries a line charge-coupled device (CCD). The line CCD has a reader element array composed of a plurality of reader elements laid in the same direction as the printing paper transport direction. The line CCD has a width along the printing paper transport direction, which is greater than a width of the inkjet head group. When the carriage moves, the line CCD scans the printing paper in the secondary scanning direction. Ink ejection inspection is made based on an image read by the line CCD.

Abstract: A method of applying a control strip having an appropriate size in accordance with the size of a print image is provided. Print image data is rasterized or RIP-processed in Step S1. Image layout data is acquired from the print image data in Step S2. The size of control strip image data is adjusted based on the image layout data in Step S3. The size of the control strip is determined to be a positive integral multiple of an ink key size, based on a previously established equation. Based on the size of the control strip image data, a previously prepared control strip having a maximum size is cut. The adjusted control strip image data and the print image data are combined together in Step S4. In Step S4, blank data are added to the left and right of the print image to extend the size of the print image to the size of the control strip.

Abstract: For a low saturation and high density region in a printed sheet identified based on rasterized data, flushing ejection is executed, with landing positions dispersed in the above-mentioned region. For a region which is low in saturation but is not high in density, an edge portion of the above-mentioned region is determined as the landing positions. During these processes, the adjustment is additionally made to the ejection from inkjet nozzles for color components which are not to be subjected to the flushing ejection, to thereby maintain the original hue of the above-mentioned region. This achieves the flushing ejection while minimizing the degradation of the quality of the printed sheet. Further, in the variable printing, whether the flushing ejection is necessary or not is judged based on details to be printed on a base page. This causes the execution of the flushing ejection whenever individual printed sheets are produced.

Abstract: A printing system, having a plurality of digital printing machines, capable of efficiently printing pages having different styles and preventing reduction of efficiency in bookbinding is provided. In the printing system having a plurality of printing machines, a controller selects a printing machine for printing every page on the basis of set information of page data included in book data so that pages having different styles can be printed by proper printing machines, whereby a burden on an operator can be reduced and an efficient printing operation can be implemented.

Abstract: An inspection system incorporated in a printing apparatus provides a detailed inspection in which an amount of data taken as an object of inspection in unit region of printing paper is relatively large, and a simple inspection in which the amount of the data is relatively small. A region of printing paper, which becomes an object of processing when a mode signal is “H”, is taken as an object of inspection in the detailed inspection. A region of the printing paper, which becomes an object of processing when the mode signal is “L”, is taken as an object of inspection in the simple inspection. Thereby, the entire printing paper can be inspected without any large drop in the accuracy of inspection, and the amount of data handled in the inspection can be reduced considerably.

Abstract: After the front surface of a web is printed by a first-side printing unit, the web is shifted in the direction of its width by a direction-changing unit, flipped over by rollers, and transported to a second-side printing unit, where the back surface of the web is printed. A sensor detects a displacement between the second-side printing unit and the web or marks printed on the web. According to the amount and direction of displacement detected by the sensor, a printing unit body is shifted in the direction of the web width, and the web traveling as opposed to the first-side printing unit is shifted in the direction of its width by an edge guide.

Abstract: A carriage, which moves an inkjet head group composed of a plurality of inkjet head arrays laid approximately perpendicular to a printing paper transport direction, carries a line CCD. The line CCD has a reader element array composed of a plurality of reader elements laid in the same direction as the printing paper transport direction. The line CCD has a width along the printing paper transport direction, which is greater than a width of the inkjet head group. When the carriage moves, the line CCD scans the printing paper in the secondary scanning direction. Ink ejection inspection is made based on an image read by the line CCD.

Abstract: A printing system is provided with a controller and a printing device that houses sheets of printing paper of a plurality of kinds. The controller has a storing means for storing cover page data used for forming a front cover and a rear cover of a booklet and body page data used for forming a body of the booklet, and, after having set different print formats with respect to the cover page data and body page data, successively outputs the cover page data and the body page data to the printing device. The printing device, with respect to the cover page data and the body page data transmitted from the controller, prints the cover portion and the body portion on sheets of printing paper of different kinds based upon the print formats respectively set. Thus, it is possible to successively supply printed sheets corresponding to the cover portion and the body portion to an automatic bookbinding machine.

Abstract: A printing control system is provided for producing prints from image data, which includes a PDL data creating process for creating PDL data, a platemaking data creating process for creating platemaking data based on the PDL data created in the PDL data creating process, and a printing process. In these PDL data creating process, platemaking data creating process and printing process, intents of color tone control are conveyed by representative point information including information on positions and color tones of representative points.

Abstract: A method of applying a control strip having an appropriate size in accordance with the size of a print image is provided. Print image data is rasterized or RIP-processed in Step S1. Image layout data is acquired from the print image data in Step S2. The size of control strip image data is adjusted based on the image layout data in Step S3. The size of the control strip is determined to be a positive integral multiple of an ink key size, based on a previously established equation. Based on the size of the control strip image data, a previously prepared control strip having a maximum size is cut. The adjusted control strip image data and the print image data are combined together in Step S4. In Step S4, blank data are added to the left and right of the print image to extend the size of the print image to the size of the control strip.

Abstract: A printing system is provided with a controller and a printing device that houses sheets of printing paper of a plurality of kinds. The controller has a storing means for storing cover page data used for forming a front cover and a rear cover of a booklet and body page data used for forming a body of the booklet, and, after having set different print formats with respect to the cover page data and body page data, successively outputs the cover page data and the body page data to the printing device. The printing device, with respect to the cover page data and the body page data transmitted from the controller, prints the cover portion and the body portion on sheets of printing paper of different kinds based upon the print formats respectively set. Thus, it is possible to successively supply printed sheets corresponding to the cover portion and the body portion to an automatic bookbinding machine.

Abstract: A controller (print control unit) comprises an image analyzing part automatically analyzing an image for printed matter and an inference part adjusting the value of a control parameter related to a printing Machine with fuzzy inference. The inference part acquires the feature of the image such as “solid”, “halftone” or “light” with the result of analysis by the image analyzing part, and decides each control parameter in response to the feature of the image. The printing machine makes printing output with the adjusted control parameter transmitted from the controller. The feature of the image may alternatively be supplied as an instruction from an operator through a feature specifying part. Thus, a print control unit capable of excellently and simply adjusting the control parameter for the printing machine in response to the feature of the printed image is provided.

Abstract: A printing system, having a plurality of digital printing machines, capable of efficiently printing pages having different styles and preventing reduction of efficiency in bookbinding is provided. In the printing system having a plurality of printing machines, a controller selects a printing machine for printing every page on the basis of set information of page data included in book data so that pages having different styles can be printed by proper printing machines, whereby a burden on an operator can be reduced and an efficient printing operation can be implemented.

Abstract: A processing time is reduced without using expensive hardware. A head reads images of originals which are contained in an i-th original photo film Fi all at one time as it moves in a subscanning direction and as an original drum rotates in a main scanning direction. At this stage, a switch connects the head to a first band memory and a switch connects a second band memory to an image processing circuit. During the reading of the images, image signals are stored in memory sectors of the first band memory original by original while image signals regarding an (i−1)-th original photo film (F(i−1)) are serially read, processed and stored in a magnetic disk original by original. When the head read images of an original photo film (F(i+1)) all at one time, the switches are switched each other so that writing in the second band memory and reading from the first band memory are performed simultaneously.

Abstract: Data formats (page description data, intermediate data and raster data) for compositing respective ones of first to fifth pages with each other are previously determined. An interpreter and a renderer convert the respective pages to the data formats for compositing the same with each other. A page requiring no conversion is not converted. After the conversion, the pages expressed in the page description data, the intermediate data and the raster data are subjected to first composition, second composition and third composition respectively. The composition and the conversion can be dispersively performed, to enable processing in a short time without increasing the quantity of data in individual processing. Thus provided are an apparatus for and a method of processing printing data, which can process data in a short time with high throughput.

Abstract: A light beam output device eliminates the disposition change of plural light beam spots on the inner face of a drum, thus allowing image recording with plural light beams. The light beam output unit emits a light beam modulated according to binary image data representing an image to be recorded and transmits the light beam along a center axis of a drum. A light receiving device of a scanning unit receives the light beam and converts the light beam into serial data. A serial/parallel converter unit further converts the serial data into parallel image signals. A driver unit actuates and drives an array composed of plural light emitting devices, which irradiate plural light beams based on the parallel image signals. With a rotational force of a main scanning motor, the scanning unit rotates about the center axis of the drum. The plural light beams emitted from the array are thereby rotated around the center axis of the drum.

Abstract: For image parts in an image with large circumscribed quadrilaterals, one-dimensional data development is executed where intersection point data on a scanning line are accumulated for plural image parts and one-dimensional raster data of the scanning line is produced based on the intersection point data. For image parts with small circumscribed quadrilaterals, two-dimensional data development is executed where intersection point data in an image part are obtained and two-dimensional raster data of the image part is produced. While the one-dimensional data development requires only a small memory capacity for raster data creation even for relatively large image parts, the two-dimensional data development allows high-speed raster data creation for relatively small image parts.

Abstract: Printable color image data (Y, M, C and K) is subjected, in a first processor (S.sub.1), to a first correction procedure to compensate the same for a first additivity failure which results from the mixing of primary chromatic components (Y, M, and C). The color image data is thereafter subjected, in a second processor (S.sub.2), to a second correction procedure involving compensation for a second additivity failure caused by mixture of primary chromatic components (Y, M and C) with an achromatic component (K). Thereby, color image data (Y.sub.5, M.sub.5 and C.sub.5) is obtained from which a color film approximating the colors that will appear in an ink-based printed reproduction of an original image is obtained. Conversion functions for providing the necessary compensation for the two additivity failures are defined/obtained on the basis of actual densities of a printed version of the color image data and a color film version thereof.