Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a transport mechanism, heads, and an estimation part. The transport mechanism transports an elongated strip-shaped base material along a predetermined transport path in a longitudinal direction thereof. The heads eject ink onto a surface of the base material being transported by the transport mechanism, based on submitted data. The estimation part outputs an estimation result indicating the expansion/contraction state of the base material resulting from the ink, based on the submitted data, prior to printing of the submitted data. This provides the estimation result of the expansion/contraction state in accordance with the submitted data. Thus, the submitted data is printed in consideration of the estimation result. The printing apparatus according to the present invention is capable of estimating the expansion/contraction state of the base material in accordance with the submitted data prior to the printing.

Abstract: An image processing method includes acquiring an original image including cells as an imaging target, performing band-pass filtering on the original image with respect to a spatial frequency component within a band determined in accordance with a width of an outline of the imaging target and attenuating relatively other spatial frequency component outside the band, segmenting an image after the filtering into a first region having density higher than a threshold value and a second region, connecting the first regions sandwiching the second region by changing a portion of the sandwiched second region to the first region in an image after the segmenting, converting a closed region which is the second region in an image after the connection surrounded by the first region into the first region, and dividing the first region having, a neck into regions at a position of the neck in an image after the converting.

Abstract: An image processing method includes acquiring an original image including cells as an imaging target, performing band-pass filtering on the original image with respect to a spatial frequency component within a band determined in accordance with a width of an outline of the imaging target and attenuating relatively other spatial frequency component outside the band, segmenting an image after the filtering into a first region having density higher than a threshold value and a second region, connecting the first regions sandwiching the second region by changing a portion of the sandwiched second region to the first region in an image after the segmenting, converting a closed region which is the second region in an image after the connection surrounded by the first region into the first region, and dividing the first region having a neck into regions at a position of the neck in an image after the converting.

Abstract: An appearance inspection apparatus comprises an inspection part for detecting a defect of a pattern on the basis of an image of a surface of a substrate on which the pattern is formed, which is captured by an imaging part. The inspection part comprises an image transfer part for transferring image data which is obtained by imaging a region to be inspected on the substrate and stored in an image storing memory by the imaging part to a plurality of image processing memories and a plurality of GPUs for taking image data corresponding to respective regions to be processed out of transferred image data which are transferred to the image processing memories by the image transfer part and performing an inspection process for defect detection on the image data.