Abstract: The image processing apparatus measures a density of a first test chart printed using first pattern data obtained by binarizing multi-value patch pattern data with a first resolution, converts the first pattern data into second pattern data with a second resolution, and measures a density of a second test chart printed using the second pattern data. The apparatus obtains difference correction data for correcting differences between the densities of the first and second test charts, corrects the density of the multi-value patch pattern data with the first resolution based on the difference correction data, and generates test chart data including a first pattern obtained by converting pattern data obtained by binarizing the corrected multi-value patch pattern data into pattern data with the second resolution and a second pattern obtained by binarizing multi-value patch pattern data with the second resolution.

Abstract: It is made possible to prevent deterioration in quality of a thin line or character, which results from pseudo halftone processing. The image processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a generation unit configured to generate halftone image data in which a dot pattern is formed for each cell, which is a unit representing a tone level, by performing halftone processing using the first threshold value matrix for multi-value input image data, and in the first threshold value matrix, threshold values for forming the dot pattern are arranged for each cell and further, in threshold value arrangement for each cell of the first threshold value matrix, the second smallest threshold value within the cell is arranged at a position neighboring a position at which the smallest threshold value within the cell is arranged, and the position at which the second smallest threshold value is arranged is different between adjacent cells.

Abstract: The image processing apparatus measures a density of a first test chart printed using first pattern data obtained by binarizing multi-value patch pattern data with a first resolution, converts the first pattern data into second pattern data with a second resolution, and measures a density of a second test chart printed using the second pattern data. The apparatus obtains difference correction data for correcting differences between the densities of the first and second test charts, corrects the density of the multi-value patch pattern data with the first resolution based on the difference correction data, and generates test chart data including a first pattern obtained by converting pattern data obtained by binarizing the corrected multi-value patch pattern data into pattern data with the second resolution and a second pattern obtained by binarizing multi-value patch pattern data with the second resolution.

Abstract: It is made possible to prevent deterioration in quality of a thin line or character, which results from pseudo halftone processing. The image processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a generation unit configured to generate halftone image data in which a dot pattern is formed for each cell, which is a unit representing a tone level, by performing halftone processing using the first threshold value matrix for multi-value input image data, and in the first threshold value matrix, threshold values for forming the dot pattern are arranged for each cell and further, in threshold value arrangement for each cell of the first threshold value matrix, the second smallest threshold value within the cell is arranged at a position neighboring a position at which the smallest threshold value within the cell is arranged, and the position at which the second smallest threshold value is arranged is different between adjacent cells.

Abstract: In the conventional toner save processing, in the case where the color of each element, such as a character, a graphics, and an image, constituting an image is a pale color or bright color, visual recognizability will be degraded even by maintaining the density of an edge portion of each element. An image processing apparatus that performs color material save processing to perform color printing while suppressing a color material consumption compared to that at the time of normal printing, includes an edge detection unit configured to detect an edge pixel constituting an edge of an object within input image data, and a density adjustment unit configured to convert the color of a detected edge pixel into an achromatic color and to decrease the density of the color of a non-edge pixel, which is a pixel other than the edge pixel of the object.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus including: a halftone processing unit configured to generate halftone image data represented by a halftone dot corresponding to a density value by performing halftone processing using a dither matrix for input image data; a phase change processing unit configured to correct a deviation of a laser beam scan line that is used in forming an image in accordance with the input image data on a printing medium by performing phase change processing to shift the phase of a pixel in the halftone image data in a sub scanning direction; and a pseudo high-resolution processing unit configured to convert the halftone image data after the phase change processing into halftone image data with a lower resolution by performing pseudo high-resolution processing, and in the dither matrix, threshold values are arranged so that the number of pixels in the sub scanning direction, which make up the halftone dot, is always even.

Abstract: In the conventional toner save processing, in the case where the color of each element, such as a character, a graphics, and an image, constituting an image is a pale color or bright color, visual recognizability will be degraded even by maintaining the density of an edge portion of each element. An image processing apparatus that performs color material save processing to perform color printing while suppressing a color material consumption compared to that at the time of normal printing, includes an edge detection unit configured to detect an edge pixel constituting an edge of an object within input image data, and a density adjustment unit configured to convert the color of a detected edge pixel into an achromatic color and to decrease the density of the color of a non-edge pixel, which is a pixel other than the edge pixel of the object.

Abstract: An image processing system performs correction of shifting bitmap data in a sub-scanning direction so as to cancel bending of an electro-photographic laser scanning line. A line command conversion unit converts a first line drawing command defining a line width as an even-number pixel width less than a predetermined even-number pixel width into a second line drawing command defining a line width as the predetermined even-number pixel width, and converts a third line drawing command defining a line width as an odd-number pixel width less than the predetermined even-number pixel width into the second line drawing command. A generation unit generates binary bitmap data with first resolution on a basis of drawing data including the second line drawing command. A correction unit performs the correction with respect to the generated binary bitmap data. A resolution conversion unit converts the binary bitmap data.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus including: a halftone processing unit configured to generate halftone image data represented by a halftone dot corresponding to a density value by performing halftone processing using a dither matrix for input image data; a phase change processing unit configured to correct a deviation of a laser beam scan line that is used in forming an image in accordance with the input image data on a printing medium by performing phase change processing to shift the phase of a pixel in the halftone image data in a sub scanning direction; and a pseudo high-resolution processing unit configured to convert the halftone image data after the phase change processing into halftone image data with a lower resolution by performing pseudo high-resolution processing, and in the dither matrix, threshold values are arranged so that the number of pixels in the sub scanning direction, which make up the halftone dot, is always even.

Abstract: In a case where a line width defined by a drawing command that is given to draw the line is smaller than a predetermined width, a line width of the drawing command is changed to a predetermined even-number pixel width.

Abstract: In the conventional toner save processing, in the case where the color of each element, such as a character, a graphics, and an image, constituting an image is a pale color or bright color, visual recognizability will be degraded even by maintaining the density of an edge portion of each element. An image processing apparatus that performs color material save processing to perform color printing while suppressing a color material consumption compared to that at the time of normal printing, includes an edge detection unit configured to detect an edge pixel constituting an edge of an object within input image data, and a density adjustment unit configured to convert the color of a detected edge pixel into an achromatic color and to decrease the density of the color of a non-edge pixel, which is a pixel other than the edge pixel of the object.

Abstract: By addition of a copy forgery inhibited pattern image having a lower density to an image in a saving mode, there is provided an image processing apparatus which can reduce consumption amounts of toner and ink while keeping effectiveness of the copy forgery inhibited pattern image. The present invention is an image processing apparatus having a copy forgery inhibited pattern image addition mode and a saving mode, and includes a unit configured to determine whether the copy forgery inhibited pattern image addition mode is set and a unit configured to determine whether the saving mode is set, wherein a density of the copy forgery inhibited pattern image to be added to the image in the case where the saving mode is set is lower than a density of the copy forgery inhibited pattern image to be added to the image in the case where the saving mode isn't set.

Abstract: By addition of a copy forgery inhibited pattern image having a lower density to an image in a saving mode, there is provided an image processing apparatus which can reduce consumption amounts of toner and ink while keeping effectiveness of the copy forgery inhibited pattern image. The present invention is an image processing apparatus having a copy forgery inhibited pattern image addition mode and a saving mode, and includes a unit configured to determine whether the copy forgery inhibited pattern image addition mode is set and a unit configured to determine whether the saving mode is set, wherein a density of the copy forgery inhibited pattern image to be added to the image in the case where the saving mode is set is lower than a density of the copy forgery inhibited pattern image to be added to the image in the case where the saving mode isn't set.

Abstract: An image processing method includes: selecting an image processing module for each attribute associated with a block of image data in accordance with the content of image processing made to correspond to the attribute; generating an image processing flow for each block by use of the selected image processing module; and determining whether the image processing flow can be constructed in an image processing area. When it is determined that a processing area of the image processing flow cannot be constructed in the image processing area, the method selects an image processing flow having an image processing module which is not contained in the other image processing flows from among a plurality of the image processing flows the blocks, the selected image processing flow being constructed in the image processing area such that the processing area of the image processing flow is included in the image processing area.

Abstract: When executing super-resolution processing, both reduction in necessary memory capacity and generation of high-resolution image data having a desired image quality are achieved. This invention provides an image forming method in an image forming apparatus capable of executing super-resolution processing using a plurality of low-resolution image data to generate high-resolution image data. The method includes steps of acquiring a plurality of low-resolution image data, selecting image data to be deleted from the plurality of acquired image data on the basis of spatial frequency information or color information of each image data, deleting the selected image data, and storing, as image data used in the super-resolution processing, remaining image data which are not deleted among the plurality of image data.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus forming an image with color toners used for full color printing and a particular toner is provided. The apparatus comprises a storage storing image data and attribute information indicating an attribute of each pixel in the data; a compression component compressing the information; a change component changing attribute information except particular toner information for forming an image with the particular toner of the attribute information, so that a data amount of the compressed attribute information does not exceed the storage capacity, when a data amount of the compressed attribute information exceeds the storage capacity; a component storing the attribute information changed by the change component into the storage; and a component forming a full color image and a particular toner image by image processing using the attribute information in the storage for the image data in the storage.

Abstract: In order to determine the image quality of an encoded image in consideration of the printing characteristic of an output apparatus (e.g., a copying machine and a printer), the image forming apparatus has an intermediate formation unit for forming dots that are based on dot data making up an encoded image on an intermediate transfer body, and a decision unit for deciding whether the encoded image should be formed on a sheet or not based on the density of the dots formed on the intermediate transfer body by the intermediate formation unit.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus forming an image with color toners used for full color printing and a particular toner is provided. The apparatus comprises a storage storing image data and attribute information indicating an attribute of each pixel in the data; a compression component compressing the information; a change component changing attribute information except particular toner information for forming an image with the particular toner of the attribute information, so that a data amount of the compressed attribute information does not exceed the storage capacity, when a data amount of the compressed attribute information exceeds the storage capacity; a component storing the attribute information changed by the change component into the storage; and a component forming a full color image and a particular toner image by image processing using the attribute information in the storage for the image data in the storage.

Abstract: The measured density value of a printer at the time is compared with the density measured value at the time of adjusting a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern density, and the fluctuation amount of the output density of the printer from the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern density adjustment time until the time is calculated. It is judged whether the calculated density fluctuation amount exceeds a density region (the threshold of density fluctuation amount) which becomes effective as the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image. When the density fluctuation amount exceeds the threshold of the density fluctuation amount, the user is notified that the density of the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image may have inappropriate density as the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image by the density fluctuation. Thereby, the user can check whether the present copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image is appropriate.

Abstract: Selecting an image processing module for each attribute in accordance with discriminated attribute and the content of image processing made to correspond to the attribute, generating an image processing flow for each attribute by use of the selected image processing module; judging whether or not the image processing flow can be constructed in an image processing area; when it is judged that a processing area of the image processing flow cannot be constructed in the image processing area, selects an image processing flow having an image processing module which is not held by the other image processing flows from among a plurality of the image processing flows, constructs the selected image processing flow in the image processing area such that the processing area of the image processing flow is included in the image processing area.