Abstract: A method for measuring an amount of toner on a recording medium that can accurately measure the toner amount. Information on the recording medium to which the toner is fixed is acquired. The toner fixed to the recording medium is irradiated with laser light. A light intensity distribution of reflected light of the laser light is detected. The amount of the toner on the recording medium is calculated on the basis of the acquired recording medium information and the detected light intensity distribution.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a calibration mode in which a calibration image is formed on a print medium to correct image forming conditions. The image forming apparatus detects print medium information to determine, on the basis of the print medium information, whether the print medium is a sheet recommended as a print medium for use in the calibration mode. The image forming apparatus sets calibration conditions corresponding to the determined recommended sheet. The image forming apparatus corrects the image forming conditions on the basis of the set calibration conditions.

Abstract: There is provided a method of creating a color chart for color evaluation used in color evaluation, including: an obtaining step of obtaining standard color chart data corresponding to a standard color chart including a plurality of patches; a display step of displaying an evaluation target image on a display screen; a setting step of setting an area in the evaluation target image, which is used to create a color chart for color evaluation; a computing step of computing color element data which represent color features of an image within the set area based on image data of the set area; and a creating step of creating the color chart for color evaluation by extracting patch data corresponding to the computed color element data from the standard color chart data.

Abstract: This invention provides a display apparatus, control method, and control program, which display hue differences and color difference values of respective patches as lists, and display the hue direction of the hue difference of each individual patch on a chromaticity diagram in an easy-to-understand manner. To accomplish this, a display method of this invention includes a specifying step of specifying a color determined by a hue difference calculated from first and second values associated with spectral reflectance characteristics, and a display step of displaying the color specified in the specifying step as a graphical object. The specified color is specified as a representative color that indicates a hue on a chromaticity diagram to which the hue difference biases.

Abstract: This invention provides a display control apparatus and control method, which allow the operator to easily identify the correspondence between the patch icons and their color difference values. To accomplish this, the display control method of this invention includes an icon displaying step of displaying a plurality of color difference values computed based on a first data group and second data group associated with spectral reflectance characteristics as a plurality of patch icons. The display control method includes a numeric value displaying step of displaying the color difference values represented by the patch icons in one of a first display format that displays, as numeric values, the color difference values within display regions of the patch icons, and a second display format that displays, as numeric values, the color difference values above display regions of a plurality of patch icons.

Abstract: Upon observing homogeneity in page image by the human eye, a permissible level associated with color reproduction with respect to an identical color signal changes depending on the distance from an interest point. Since the conventional homogeneity in page image evaluation scheme doesn't take the above characteristics into consideration, the correlation between a finished image and the evaluation result cannot be exploited fully. Hence, image data, which forms an image with identical density within a range to be evaluated in one page, is output to a printer to measure reflection characteristics of the image at points on output of the printer. One point is set as a reference point, and distances between the reference point and the remaining points, and differences of the reflection characteristic between the reference point and the remaining points are calculated. The image quality within the range is evaluated based on the distances and differences.

Abstract: Color reproducibility needs to be evaluated in consideration of the influence of homogeneity in page image. Hence, a first chart is formed from an image of a uniform density of a region to be evaluated, and data associated with the spectral reflectances of plural points on the first chart are input. Based on the data obtained from the first chart, color differences between a predetermined point and other points on the first chart are calculated. When the calculated color differences fall within a permissible range of heterogeneity of colors in the region, a second chart is formed from an image corresponding to a color target, and data associated with the spectral reflectances of plural points on the second chart are input. Color differences are calculated from the data obtained from the second chart and data associated with the spectral reflectance of the color target.

Abstract: A printing system includes a plurality of printing apparatuses connected to a network and at least one control apparatus for sending a print job to each of the printing apparatuses instructing each of the printing apparatuses to execute the print job. In this system, when a first printing apparatus is instructed to execute the print job, the control apparatus makes a substitute printing reservation for at least one second printing apparatus so that the second printing apparatus may execute the print job instead of the first printing apparatus. The second printing apparatus is set to a waiting state for waiting to execute the print job instead of the first printing apparatus.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus appropriately adjusts an image forming conditions even if a halftone-processed image data is inputted. The image forming apparatus forms a patch image by applying a halftone process which is substantially equivalent to the halftone process which has been previously performed for the inputted image data. The image forming apparatus detects the density of the formed patch image and adjusts the image forming conditions according to the detected density.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that is capable of generating highly accurate read timing of a patch image, thereby achieving highly accurate density adjustment and improving color stability. A patch image for color adjustment is read in read timing generated when a trigger bar is detected. The patch image and the trigger bar that are to be read by a color sensor are formed on a transfer material. Image formation is executed by a printer controller in an image forming condition set differently for the trigger bar and for the patch image.

Abstract: Image data supplied to an image forming apparatus are converted into image data linearly correlated with the image density, and the image ratio is calculated by dividing the number of pixels in which the toner is deposited during image formation based on the thus-converted image, with a value obtained by multiplying the total pixel number corresponding to the size of the print medium with the number of gradation levels per pixel. Then the toner amount consumed in the image formation based on the entered image data is determined by multiplying the image ratio, the size of the print medium to be used and the toner amount consumed per unit area in a solid image formation.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of setting anti-forgery information addition level while taking an apparatus individual difference into consideration. The method is employed by a data processing system including: an image processing apparatus 100 for processing an image; and a maintenance apparatus 120, connected with the image processing apparatus through a network 110, for setting a processing function of the image processing apparatus 100. The maintenance apparatus 120 determines an anti-forgery information addition level depending on an individual difference of apparatuses, such as an exhaustion level of the image processing apparatus 100. The addition level determined by the maintenance apparatus 120 is transmitted to the image processing apparatus 100. The image processing apparatus 100 adds anti-forgery information to an inputted image at the addition level transmitted by the maintenance apparatus 120.

Abstract: It enables to construct a flexible device environment in consideration of POD, office and various use environments. To do so, a job processing method is applied to a system including an image processing device capable of executing printing of data of a job of a storage unit capable of storing data of plural jobs including at least one of first job of first processing condition, second job of first processing condition and third job of second processing condition. In the method, it causes the image processing device to finish the printing of the third job after both the printings of first and second jobs are executed, when the image processing device is operated in first sequence, and it causes the image processing device to start the printing of third job before at least the printing of second job is finished, when the image processing device is operated in second sequence.

Abstract: An image color correction method and an image forming apparatus are provided, which are capable of correcting an image color with much higher accuracy. A first light (Red light) is irradiated on patch image (for example, an image of Cyan color) formed on a sheet by the image forming apparatus, and a second light (Red light) is irradiated on the vicinity of the patch image on the sheet, respectively by the image forming apparatus. The light amount of the second light is adjusted so that the brightness of the second light coincides with the brightness of the patch image irradiated by the first light. Based on the light amount adjusted for correcting the color of the image outputted by the image forming apparatus, the image forming condition of the image forming apparatus is set.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes image forming device for forming an image, switching device for switching resolution of an image formed by the image forming device, processing device for performing stabilization processing for stabilizing quality of the image formed by the image forming device and changing device for changing a processing procedure of the stabilization processing in accordance with the resolution switched by the switching device. With these features, it is possible to avoid deterioration of image quality even if the resolution is switched.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that can make it possible to change as desired the conditions for color stabilization control performed through a stabilization control means, so as to provide color stabilization suited to a wide range of users, to thereby accommodate the needs of a variety of users. Color information is read from a predetermined color material. Color stabilization control is carried out based on the read color information during image formation. A mode in which the color stabilization control is carried out is designated according to externally input information. The color stabilization control is carried out in the designated mode.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for forming an image using at least three color materials includes a first generation device for generating a plurality of patches of secondary colors composed of color materials of two different colors; a first measurement device for measuring the patches; a first correction characteristic calculation device for calculating gradation-correction characteristics corresponding to each of the two color materials; a second generation device for generating a group of patches in accordance with an image signal for the two different color materials and an image signal for color materials other than the two color materials by using an image signal corrected on the basis of the gradation-correction characteristics; a second measurement device for measuring patches generated by the second generation device; and a second correction characteristic calculation device for calculating gradation-correction characteristics of image signals for color materials other than the two different color ma

Abstract: An ICC profile includes brief gloss information indicating glossy/matte attribute as attribute information, however, gloss matching cannot be performed with the 2 options. In a case where embedding of glossiness information into the ICC profile is designated, glossiness information is obtained from a color chart placed on an original plate of a color copier, and the obtained glossiness information is described in a private tag of the ICC profile.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of setting anti-forgery information addition level while taking an apparatus individual difference into consideration. The method is employed by a data processing system including: an image processing apparatus 100 for processing an image; and a maintenance apparatus 120, connected with the image processing apparatus through a network 110, for setting a processing function of the image processing apparatus 100. The maintenance apparatus 120 determines an anti-forgery information addition level depending on an individual difference of apparatuses, such as an exhaustion level of the image processing apparatus 100. The addition level determined by the maintenance apparatus 120 is transmitted to the image processing apparatus 100. The image processing apparatus 100 adds anti-forgery information to an inputted image at the addition level transmitted by the maintenance apparatus 120.

Abstract: Image data supplied to an image forming apparatus are converted into image data linearly correlated with the image density, and the image ratio is calculated by dividing the number of pixels in which the toner is deposited at the image formation of thus converted image data on a print medium, with a value obtained by multiplying the total pixel number corresponding to the size of the print medium with the number of gradation levels per pixel. Then the toner amount consumed in the image formation based on the entered image data is determined by multiplying the image ratio, the size of the print medium to be used and the toner amount consumed per unit area in a solid image formation.