Abstract: An apparatus according to the present invention includes: an acquisition unit configured to acquire, based on the results of reading a test pattern output by a printing unit, tone level correction data for bringing the reproduction characteristics of an image that is output by the printing unit close to a target value; a unit configured to generate adjusted tone level correction data obtained by adjusting the tone level correction data so that a predetermined density area increases in density; and a unit configured to generate color material amount correction data adjusted so that the amount of color material that is used for image formation becomes small in accordance with a degree of the adjustment in the adjusted tone level correction data.

Abstract: An amount of used toner is estimated based on the density independent of a recording medium, which is obtained from an intermediate transfer member, and on the density dependent on a recording medium, which is obtained from a recording medium. Patches are formed on a target print medium both under a process condition using the estimated toner amount, and under process conditions in which the toner amount changes on the basis of the estimated toner amount. Densities of the patches are measured, a process condition yielding a target density is identified, an image is formed under the identified condition, an amount of toner consumed to yield the target density under the identified condition is used as the largest toner amount for a single color component, and a toner mounting amount serving as an upper limit is converted into a density scale.

Abstract: Edge enhancement processing is executed by obtaining a sum of whiteness degrees around a target pixel, to which edge enhancement is to be applied, and by adjusting the amount of edge enhancement such that the degree of edge enhancement decreases as the sum of whiteness degrees increases, and the degree of edge enhancement increases as the sum of whiteness degrees decreases. A whiteness degree is a value indicating the extent to which a pixel is close to white, and a sum of whiteness degrees indicates the extent to which the color around the target pixel is whitish.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a mode determination unit for determining a print mode, a fixing temperature acquisition unit for acquiring fixing temperature information corresponding to the print mode determined by the mode determination unit, an image adjustment means for, after the fixing temperature information is acquired by the fixing temperature acquisition unit, accepting an instruction of an adjustment value for image data and performing image adjustment corresponding to the adjustment value for the image data, and a control unit for controlling a fixing temperature of a fixing device in accordance with the fixing temperature information acquired by the fixing temperature acquisition unit before and after the image adjustment is performed by the image adjustment unit.

Abstract: A correction in less than one pixel raises an issue of generation of image defect such as density unevenness caused by a destruction of a screen pattern that generates a cycle of image data. To solve this issue, an image processing apparatus includes a correction unit configured to perform a correction less than one pixel on image data, and a changing processing unit configured to perform a correction by one pixel on image data, wherein the correction unit performs processing for correction in less than one pixel by shifting a pixel according to a moving locus synchronized with a cycle of the image data.

Abstract: In an image processing apparatus for dividing image data into blocks having a predetermined number of pixels and processing each of the divided blocks in sequence, color data of pixels in a block to be processed is compared to identify a pattern flag that corresponds to a placement pattern of the color data included in the block. The identified pattern flag and the color data for the number of colors included in the block are output and, assuming that output color data that corresponds to a pixel at a predefined position in the block is first color data, the pattern flag, the first color data, and other color data that are output for each of the divided blocks are collectively stored in respectively different memory areas.

Abstract: Edge enhancement processing is performed for the luminance of each pixel of an image, and the correction value of the pixel after the edge enhancement processing is decided according to the saturation of each pixel of the image. The value of the pixel after the edge enhancement processing is corrected using the decided correction value.

Abstract: In an image processing apparatus for dividing image data into blocks having a predetermined number of pixels and processing each of the divided blocks in sequence, color data of pixels in a block to be processed is compared to identify a pattern flag that corresponds to a placement pattern of the color data included in the block. The identified pattern flag and the color data for the number of colors included in the block are output and, assuming that output color data that corresponds to a pixel at a predefined position in the block is first color data, the pattern flag, the first color data, and other color data that are output for each of the divided blocks are collectively stored in respectively different memory areas.

Abstract: There exists a problem that, for registration correction, carrying out less-than-one-pixel-basis correction and one-pixel-basis correction for an image after half toning using screen processing causes unevenness in density when it is hard for linearity of image density against a PWM to come out. Processing of interpolation is carried out so that the way how a halfdot is formed may always becomes the same after the interpolation processing. By applying a matrix in consideration of a dot direction which may be broken by the interpolation processing at the time of the screen processing, conversion in which a way of locating the half dot maintains relation of vertical inversion in a subscanning direction is carried out, and less-than-one-pixel-basis correction is carried out.

Abstract: An unnatural color change which occurs when combining trapping and spatial filter processing is suppressed. When image data is input, it is determined whether to perform trapping at the position of the pixel of interest of the input image data, and trapping is performed for the input image data. In addition, spatial filter processing is performed for the pixel of interest of the input data, an output of the trapping and that of the filter processing are weighted, and image data to be output is calculated.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises: means for performing color-reduction processing for a block; means for comparing color data of respective pixels in the block, thereby specifying a placement pattern of the color data included in the block; means for extracting, as first color data, color data corresponding to a pixel at a predefined position in the block, and further extracting color data other than the first color data included in the block; means for outputting the placement pattern specified, and the first color data and the color data other than the first color data, which are extracted; and means for controlling to execute color-reduction processing, for second image data formed from the first color data output, upon determining blocks each including a predetermined number of pixels as blocks to be processed, thereby further controlling to re-execute, for the block having undergone the color-reduction processing, processing by each means.

Abstract: A problem of the present invention is to provide an image forming device which can minimize density unevenness due to interpolation processing. For solving the above problem, an image forming device according to the present invention is an image forming device including printing unit for printing an image by scanning a photosensitive body comprising correcting unit for correcting a position in which the image is printed, wherein the correcting unit outputs one of a data of a line of interest, a data of a line adjacent to the line of interest, and a data of an intermediate value between the line of interest and the line adjacent to the line of interest in accordance with a pixel shift amount and a main scan pixel position, and the printing unit scans the photosensitive body based upon the outputted data.

Abstract: There exists a problem that, for registration correction, carrying out less-than-one-pixel-basis correction and one-pixel-basis correction for an image after half toning using screen processing causes unevenness in density when it is hard for linearity of image density against a PWM to come out. Processing of interpolation is carried out so that the way how a halfdot is formed may always becomes the same after the interpolation processing. By applying a matrix in consideration of a dot direction which may be broken by the interpolation processing at the time of the screen processing, conversion in which a way of locating the half dot maintains relation of vertical inversion in a subscanning direction is carried out, and less-than-one-pixel-basis correction is carried out.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image processing apparatus, and an image processing method, which can reproduce an edge portion with a high resolution in a high resolution raster image, and suppress image degradation such as a jaggy, while suppressing processing cost. In the present invention, an image processing part divides image data of raster data into blocks of M×N pixels (M, N are integers of 1 or more and also at least one of M and N is an integer of 2 or more). Then, the part performs color rounding processing in the block and counts the number of colors in the block. Subsequently, when the number of colors existing in the block is two, the part acquires shape information about arrangement of the two colors. Then, the part stores the shape information and color information for a first color and color information for a second color.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus characterized by comprises: mode determination means for determining a print mode; fixing temperature acquisition means for acquiring fixing temperature information corresponding to the print mode determined by the mode determination means; image adjustment means for, after the fixing temperature information is acquired by the fixing temperature acquisition means, accepting an instruction of an adjustment value for image data and performing image adjustment corresponding to the adjustment value for the image data; and control means for controlling a fixing temperature of a fixing device in accordance with the fixing temperature information acquired by the fixing temperature acquisition means before and after the image adjustment is performed by the image adjustment means.

Abstract: Resolution interpolation data is generated by relatively simple processing. This enables image encoding by simple and quick processing to attain high image quality and high compression performance. To do this, a tile divider extracts tile data of 32×32 pixels from encoding target original image data. A resolution converter samples one pixel of a block of 2×2 pixels in the tile data, thereby generating reduced tile data of a reduced image. An interpolation data generator generates interpolation data to be used to generate tile data having the original resolution from the reduced tile data. Based on the interpolation data of a tile of interest, an encoding method selector outputs a control signal indicating which one of lossless encoding and lossy encoding should be executed for the reduced tile data. A code stream generator outputs the generated encoded data and interpolation data as encoded image data.

Abstract: An unnatural color change which occurs when combining trapping and spatial filter processing is suppressed. When image data is input, it is determined whether to perform trapping at the position of the pixel of interest of the input image data, and trapping is performed for the input image data. In addition, spatial filter processing is performed for the pixel of interest of the input data, an output of the trapping and that of the filter processing are weighted, and image data to be output is calculated.

Abstract: Since a less-than-one-pixel-basis correction and a one-pixel-basis correction are constantly performed on an image after halftoning, unevenness in density disadvantageously occur depending on a halftoning method. According to the halftoning method, whether the less-than-one-pixel-basis correction is performed on a continuous tone image or the one-pixel-basis correction is performed on a halftone image is switched. The one-pixel-basis correction is constantly performed on the halftone image.

Abstract: This invention generates efficient encoded data to restore original image data from reduced image data. An input unit inputs block data of 2×2 pixels from original image data. A converter generates reduced image data having a size smaller than the original image data by sampling one pixel data at a preset position in the input block data. A generator generates encoded data to restore three non-sampling target pixel data in each block data so as to restore the original image data from the reduced image data generated by the resolution converter. To do this, the generator determines whether all non-sampling target pixels in a block of interest are restorable from a sampling target pixel in the block of interest or from sampling target pixels in three blocks adjacent to the block of interest, and generates and outputs three kinds of additional information based on the determination result.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises: means for performing color-reduction processing for a block; means for comparing color data of respective pixels in the block, thereby specifying a placement pattern of the color data included in the block; means for extracting, as first color data, color data corresponding to a pixel at a predefined position in the block, and further extracting color data other than the first color data included in the block; means for outputting the placement pattern specified, and the first color data and the color data other than the first color data, which are extracted; and means for controlling to execute color-reduction processing, for second image data formed from the first color data output, upon determining blocks each including a predetermined number of pixels as blocks to be processed, thereby further controlling to re-execute, for the block having undergone the color-reduction processing, processing by each means.