Abstract: Upon providing a network photograph service, a prompt service can be provided to a customer without losing the advantage thereof such as ease of understanding where to access and collective data management. A service center receiving an order of a printing service and a minilab or a special laboratory spread across a plurality of places are able to communicate through a network. The center server in the service center selects and assigns the laboratory for printing the ordered picture in response to an order information transferred from a customer via the network so that the printing processing can be carried out by the laboratory specified by the customer instead of the center server.

Abstract: When a print of a picture image is ordered by generating print ordering information comprising electronic data in a predetermined standard to be processed by a predetermined photo finishing system, the print ordering information is generated by considering the content of the services that a service provider or a laboratory where the order is placed can provide so that the service will be provided with certainty. Picture image data obtained by reading a developed film are recorded in a recording medium together with printing service information regarding printing services. In print ordering information generation processing on the image data, the printing service information and the image data recorded in the recording medium are displayed on an order screen and print ordering information for requesting a printing service regarding the image data is generated by using the displayed printing service information.

Abstract: A plurality of picture image data obtained from a film in one film handling operation by a film scanner with the automatic film feeding function are output as prints by a digital printer and also as files in a recording medium by a file outputting device. In the system for providing the above two kinds of output services, the numbers of film scanners, file outputting devices, and digital printers are determined so that the processing performance of each kind of apparatus in a unit time times the number of each kind of apparatus is almost the same, to make each kind of apparatus comprising the system demonstrate its full performance.

Abstract: In the form of print ordering wherein photograph image data are recorded in a recording medium and brought in to a photographic service provider, a customer can specify on a personal computer a variety of printing conditions for a photographic printer installed in the photographic service provider. A printer driver for the photographic printer of the photographic service provider is installed in a personal computer of a customer. The printer driver receives an input specifying the variety of printing conditions by displaying a printing condition setting screen on a monitor of the personal computer via image processing application software. The image processing application software converts resolution upon necessity in response to the printing conditions, transfers the image data after the conversion and an image of a print paper, both of which are then displayed on a finish confirmation screen by the printer driver.

Abstract: When a picture print is generated by editing a picture image recorded on a film, the print in accordance with a customer's requirements is generated by simple operations and at a low cost. Low resolution image data of a picture image read from a film are recorded in a recording medium, in addition to software for image editing, and provided to a customer so that the customer can carry out editing operations on the picture using a personal computer or the like. When a print is ordered, editing instruction information generated by recording the operations the customer has carried out for the editing is received from the customer via the recording medium. Based on the editing instruction information, a scanner reads a film in high resolution and a printer outputs a print after automatic editing on the image data.

Abstract: A user takes in digital image data and photographing information added thereto into a personal computer, and instructs, on a printing instruction screen, a printing format such as whether or not the photographing information should be printed and where the photographing information is to be printed. The content of the instruction is added to the digital image data as printing information and transferred to a printer via a recording medium, for example. The printer prints the photographing information on a picture print based on the printing information when the picture print is generated.

Abstract: In a picture printing service, a customer can enjoy convenience equivalent to that in a network photo service by using a simple and reliable method, without special equipment, while a service provider can carry out order receiving processing without wasting time. When picture image data read from a film by using a film scanner are stored in an image server, search ID information of the picture image data to be used for searching for the picture image data is printed on a predetermined sheet or the like by using a printer in a format of an order sheet or the like to be used by a customer upon placing an order.

Abstract: When the picture image data stored in a removable medium or a hard disc are printed or output as a file according to an order placed by a customer, output processing is carried out efficiently by an operator regardless of his/her experience. A task in which a unit of output processing is carried out is assigned to each printing material or to each kind of medium, and received order information is stored with images to be processed. Units of processing are grouped in terms of the kind of task. The image data grouped in different groups are stored in different buffers, and the image data in the same buffer are output collectively when corresponding to the same printing material or to a recording medium from each buffer, to thereby reduce the number of changes of printing materials or recording media.

Abstract: In reproducing a visible image from a digital image signal representing a color image, the digital image signal being made up of a series of image signal components, an unsharp image signal, which represents an unsharp image of the color image, is formed. The image signal components of the digital image signal and the unsharp image signal, which image signal components represent corresponding picture elements in the color image and the unsharp image, are coupled with one another, and a compressed signal having a compressed dynamic range as compared to the original digital image signal is thereby obtained. Predetermined image processing is carried out on the compressed signal, and a processed image signal is thereby obtained. A visible image is reproduced from the processed image signal.

Abstract: When a reprint of a picture which has been printed once and stored as picture image data is requested under a different condition, the reprint can be generated without carrying out rereading of a film. When film reading for generating a print is carried out, as much information showing the content of the picture image is recorded on the film as possible. This includes information which is not necessary for generating the requested print. It is stored as a portion of the picture image data. In this manner, even when a reprint under a condition different from the previous printing is requested, the print can be generated by reading necessary content from the stored picture image data.

Abstract: When a picture image recorded by a digital camera is reproduced, a high quality picture image is immediately reproduced without repetitive test prints for enhancing a picture quality or repetitive minor adjustments based on a confirmation via a monitor. Recording is carried out by a digital camera having a function of adding recording information representing a recording condition (a recording information adding unit) to digital image data obtained by the recording. A set-up processing unit in an image reproducing apparatus carries out image processing on the image data obtained by the recording for enhancing a picture quality using the recording information added to the image data, and the image reproducing apparatus reproduces the image data in the form of a print or a display on a monitor.

Abstract: In a photosensitive material processing apparatus, a photosensitive material taking on the form of a long strip is fed into a conveyance mechanism and conveyed in this form along a predetermined conveyance path. An exposure device, a reservoir section, a development processing section, and a cutter are located in the conveyance path. The exposure device carries out scanning exposing operations on the long strip of the photosensitive material and thereby forms latent images on the long strip of the photosensitive material. In the reservoir section, a looped portion for serving as a buffer for conveyance is formed in the long strip of the photosensitive material, on which the latent images have been formed. In the development processing section, development processing is carried out on the long strip of the photosensitive material, which is fed via the reservoir section.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for maintaining the developing performance of an automatic developing and printing system which develops a photographic film exposed, and automatically makes a print from the developed film by using a photographic paper. A photosensitive material is employed on which the pattern having portions different in the quantity of light has been formed by exposure and by development. This photosensitive material functions in the same way the photographic material having the control strips. Hence, the processing performance of the apparatus can be determined without use of the photographic material having the control strips which is expensive and troublesome to handle.

Abstract: In a photographic film cassette, rotation of a spool in a direction of unwinding a photographic film causes a film leader to advance to an outside of a cassette shell. An exposed film is drawn out of the cassette shell after advancing the film leader for developing the exposed film in a state with a film trailer attached to the spool so as to keep the cassette shell reusable. The exposed film is wound up into the cassette shell after development. After development, the spool is rotated in the unwinding direction in a printer in order to advance the film leader outward such that the exposed film can then be drawn out of the cassette shell frame by frame for subjecting the developed film to printing in a state with the film trailer attached to the spool. Thereafter, the spool is rotated in a direction of winding up the developed film for containing the exposed film in the cassette shell.

Abstract: A photographic film cassette has a connecting sheet of which a trailing end is fixed on a spool, and a front end is drawn out from a cassette shell through a film passage mouth beforehand. A developed photographic film is connected to the front end of the connecting sheet drawn out of the cassette shell. The spool is rotated to wind up the developed film in the cassette shell with the connecting sheet. In a preferred embodiment, before developing the photographic film after exposure, the exposed film is drawn out of the cassette shell, and is cut on a film trailer. As a result, the exposed film is separated into a first portion and a second portion left on the spool with a front end of the second portion drawn out. The second portion is provided as the connecting sheet. Further, a hot-melt adhesive agent is applied to the photographic film in a position to be the front end of the second portion.

Abstract: A plurality of exposed photographic films of different types, which are contained in respective different type film cartridges, are developed and wound up individually into wind-up cartridges, on which identification data indicating the type of the photographic film wound in each wind-up cartridge is recorded. In printing, the type of each of the different type photographic films is discriminated based on the identification data recorded on the wind-up cartridges, so as to change over printing sequence according to the film type. The type of the film cartridge positioned in a film pull out position of the film processor is discriminated and memorized, so as to select a wind-up cartridge having a film type identification mark corresponding to the developed film to be wound up, or to write film type identification data in an IC memory of the wind-up cartridge during or after winding up the developed film.

Abstract: A photographic printer has at least two film carriers which are moved together in a direction perpendicular to a film transporting direction. A photographic film is subjected to light measurement while drawn out from a film cartridge on the first film carrier and, simultaneously, another photographic film is subjected to printing while rewound back into a film cartridge on the second film carrier. The printing is performed according to the result of previously performed light measurement. Upon completion of the printing in the second film carrier, the respective film carriers are moved to change over the operation steps such that the photographic film on the first film carrier is subjected to printing, and that the film cartridge into which the printed photographic film has been rewound is replaced by a new film cartridge on the second film carrier.

Abstract: The leader of a developed photographic film advanced from a cassette is transported to a curl quantity measuring unit. The curl quantity measuring unit measures, as the curl quantity, a height of the end of the film leader maintained free. In accordance with the obtained curl quantity, the temperature and heating time of a heating roller are controlled to straighten the curl. The developed photographic film with the curl straightened is transported to a print station at which an image within a frame to be printed is projected to a color paper while pushing the peripheral portion of the frame.

Abstract: A system for providing a personal booklet, such as a passport, with a picture of the face and personal data of the bookholder to thereby provide the booklet holder's identity. The system includes entering a picture of the face of an applicant, the picture being attached to an application form, as a figure image into an image composing device, entering personal data of the applicant entered in the application form as a character image, providing a composite image of the figure and character images, printing the composite image onto a thermal transfer type photosensitive printing paper, transfering the printed composite image onto an image receiving layer coated on a transparent cover sheet bound in the booklet, and sandwiching the image receiving material layer between a supporting sheet bound in the booklet next to the transparent cover sheet and the transparent cover sheet.

Abstract: A system for providing a personal booklet, such as a passport, with a picture of the face and personal data of the bookholder to thereby provide the booklet holder's identity. The system includes entering a picture of the face of an applicant, the picture being attached to an application form, as a figure image into an image composing device, entering personal data of the applicant entered in the application form as an character image, producing a composite image of the figure and character images, printing the composite image onto a thermal transfer type photosensitive printing paper, transfering the printed composite image onto an image receiving layer coated on a transparent cover sheet bound in the booklet, and sandwiching the image receiving material layer between a supporting sheet bound in the booklet next to the transparent cover sheet and the transparent cover sheet.