JP2002190960A - Color printer and color adjustment method for color printer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To enable a color printer to easily and accurately adjust the color of an output image. When performing color adjustment, a user selects a color to be output by looking on a screen by using an input device, and uses the color data as a representative value (for example, an RGB value) and an increase / decrease width data (for example, for example). Input ± 5). Control device 202
Creates color data around the representative color in accordance with the input data, and increases or decreases the color data values, for example, (R + 5,
G, B), (R, G + 5, B), (R, G, B + 5),
An image based on (R + 5, G + 5, B), (R-5, G, B), etc. is created on the memory 203. Next, the memory is read and the image is printed out. The user looks at this output image and selects the color closest to his / her desired output color. If the color is not satisfactory, the search is further continued using the value as a representative color.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a color printer and a color adjustment method for a color printer, and more particularly to a method for adjusting color data to be output.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional color printer, profile data for color matching is generally fixed, and reflection of user's preference is basically performed by color adjustment. Generally, the color adjustment is to change the curve of the entire color for each page or for each object, and is an adjustment for three primary colors such as RGB. Furthermore, there are rare adjustments to change the color matching profile itself, but the adjustment is often complicated and difficult for the user.

[0003]

In the prior art, it is possible to adjust the color of the entire image, but it is difficult to adjust a specific color. For example, if one color wants a more reddish output, but the other color is more greenish, it is impossible to make adjustments in the opposite direction. There was a problem that even some of them required much time and labor for adjustment. Some things like photographic images have problems with overall color balance, and some are unavoidable,
When it is desired to output only a few colors to a desired image in an image such as a simple graphic, the conventional color adjustment mechanism has a problem that it is difficult to obtain an effect despite the trouble.

[0004] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to enable a plurality of colors to be easily and accurately adjusted. According to the first and sixth aspects of the present invention, a desired color can be relatively easily obtained by selecting input data suitable for the printer instead of adjusting the output state of the printer to output one color. It is intended to be able to be. Claim 2
The inventions described in to 4 to 7 and 9 are intended to make it possible to obtain a desired color more easily and more precisely. It is an object of the present invention to perform the adjustment while minimizing the number of papers used for data search.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, in a color printer according to the present invention, input means for inputting representative color data to be color-adjusted and increase / decrease data thereof, and input color data There are provided a creating unit for creating a color data value of a color to be output based on the increase / decrease data, and an image output unit for outputting an image based on the created color data value.

In the color adjustment method for a color printer according to the present invention, the representative color data to be adjusted and its increase / decrease data are input, and the color data of the color to be output based on the input color data and the increase / decrease data is input. The values are created, and an image based on the created color data values is output.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a color printer according to the first to third embodiments of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes a host computer having a printer driver 101 and a color processing device 104. In the present embodiment, a color data selection device 107 is provided as an accessory to the host computer 101. The user performs color adjustment using the color data selection device 107. The color data selection device 107 includes an input device 201, a control device 202, and a memory 203 as shown in FIG.

Reference numeral 110 denotes a printer unit, which includes an image writing device 102, an image output device 103, and a gradation processing device 10.
5. It is composed of a gradation correction curve 106. The image writing device 102 receives data from the host computer 100 or the like, converts the data into a format that can be output, and writes the data into an image buffer. The image output device 103 outputs the image written in the image buffer to an output medium (often paper) 1
08 is printed out.

The host computer 100 and the image writing device 102 select color processing in the color processing device 104 and gradation processing in the gradation processing device 105 in accordance with a user's designation from the color data selection device 107. In the gradation correction curve 106, a gradation correction curve corresponding to a gradation processing method is set. Host computer 10
0, when the image writing device 102 processes data,
The gradation correction curve 10 corresponding to the selected gradation processing method
Refer to FIG.

Next, an operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. When performing color adjustment, the input device 201 allows the user to select a color to be output while viewing the screen and input the color data as a representative value. The color data values are, for example, values that can be specified on the application, such as RGB values and CMYK values. Also, the input device 2
In step 01, the user also inputs color search increment / decrement data specifying how much the color data value should be increased or decreased.

Next, color data around the representative color is created in accordance with the representative color and the increment / decrement width input by the control device 202, and the image data which fits in the output paper is stored in the memory 203 by the increased / decreased color data. To create. The increased / decreased color data is, for example, in the case of RGB, the variation range of the color is ± 5.
In the case of, for the representative color (RGB), (R + 5, G,
B), (R, G + 5, B), (R, G, B + 5), (R
+5, G + 5, B), (R-5, G, B)... That is, if the representative value is three primary colors, three primary colors (R, R + 5, R-5) change in three ways, so that one input produces 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 types of image data in the memory. Is done.

Next, an image based on the data values of the peripheral colors created on the memory is read by the control device 202 and printed out on the output medium 108 by the image writing device 102 and the image output device 103.

FIG. 3 shows an example of an output image. As shown, RGB = 10, 10, 10, RGB = 10,
27 colors such as 15, 10,... Are printed.
The user looks at the output image, selects the color closest to his / her desired output, and obtains its color data value from the printed color. If the color is not satisfactory, the color data value is replaced with the representative color and input again, and the search is continued.

Next, an operation according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment,
A feature is that the user does not input the increase / decrease width of the color performed in the first embodiment, but inputs the number of repetitions of the search instead. Based on the number of repetitions, the control device 202 automatically sets the increase / decrease range of the color considered to be optimal. In this case, control is performed such that the increase / decrease width decreases stepwise as the repetition proceeds, and the color data values are narrowed down.

First, for example, an RGB value having a gradation of 0 to 255 is set as a representative color, and color data is set to be narrowed down by repeating three times (step S1 in FIG. 4). The first time is ±
The increment / decrement width is set to ± 5 for the 10th and 2nd times and ± 2 for the 3rd (last) time (step S2). Then, peripheral color data is generated for each repetition, and an image is output. At this time, data numbers (color numbers) 1, 2, 3,... Are added to the image data of the output image as shown in FIG.
To store the relationship between the color data value and the data number for one time in the memory 203 (step S3 to step S3).
5).

At the time of repetition, when the user inputs the number of the immediately preceding data instead of the data value itself (step S2), the control unit 202 reads the data value from the number by referring to the memory 203 and sets the data value as the representative value. The search is continued with the replacement (steps S6 to S8). Also,
The increase / decrease width is also set as appropriate according to the number of repetitions. This will further reduce the burden on the user.

Next, the operation according to the third embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, in addition to the number of repetitions, input data for adjusting the magnitude of increase / decrease of the color of the initial value is added to the operation of the second embodiment. For example, in the case of RGB values, if the initial increase / decrease range is large, start from an increase / decrease range of ± 15, and if it is small, start from an increase / decrease range of ± 7.

As a result, one color selection process is not satisfactory, and when performing the second color selection, the first result is set as the representative color, the number of repetitions is set appropriately, and the increase / decrease range is set. By starting smaller, you can make more precise selections.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a color printer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Parts corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. In this embodiment, an output result simulation device 109 capable of simulating an output result on a monitor is provided.
The output image according to the embodiment is viewed on a monitor.

The output result simulating device 109 includes, for example, a device for keeping the monitor in a certain state as shown in FIG. (Or using the one created when the printer is manufactured), and using a monitor profile under certain conditions to indicate on the monitor what color the data will be on the printer. .

According to this embodiment, printout is not performed every time a search is performed, so that waste of output paper can be eliminated. In the method according to the present embodiment, when many errors are included, it is difficult to select a color only by the present method. Therefore, by combining with the first to third embodiments, the efficiency is improved. You can select a realistic color.

[0022]

According to the first and sixth aspects of the present invention,
When the monitor and printer output do not match, the user can easily obtain color data values to obtain the desired color without the complicated and difficult work of matching colors as in the past. Yes, so that the user can freely create the desired color.

According to the second and seventh aspects of the present invention, a normal user does not usually come into contact with color data values so much. Even such a user can perform color adjustment easily and speedily.

According to the third and eighth aspects of the present invention, when color adjustment is repeatedly performed, precise selection can be performed step by step.

According to the fourth and ninth aspects of the present invention, the user can view the result of the color adjustment as a print image, so that the adjustment can be performed easily and accurately.

According to the fifth and tenth aspects of the present invention,
Color adjustment can be performed without consuming a large amount of output paper at the time of color selection.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a color printer according to first to third embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the color data selection device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of an output image according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of an output image according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a color printer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the output result simulation device 109 of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 host computer 101 printer driver 102 image writing device 103 image output device 104 color processing device 105 gradation processing device 106 gradation correction curve 107 color data selection device 108 output medium 109 output result simulation device 110 printer unit

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C061 AR01 KK12 KK25 2C262 AA24 AA26 AB17 BA09 BB03 BC07 BC19 EA02 EA04 FA13 FA14 5B057 AA11 BA24 BA25 CA01 CA08 CA12 CA16 CB01 CB08 CB12 CB16 CC03 CE17 5C037 MM27 MP01 MM27 MP08 MA17 MA19 NA27 NA29 PA03

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An input unit for inputting representative color data to be adjusted and its increase / decrease data, a creation unit for creating a color data value of a color to be output based on the input color data and the increase / decrease data, And an image output means for outputting an image based on the obtained color data value. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input unit inputs the number of repetitions in place of the increase / decrease data, and the creating unit and the image output unit create a color data value and output an image for the input number of repetitions. The color printer according to claim 1, wherein 3. The color printer according to claim 2, wherein a magnitude of an initial value of said increase / decrease width data is inputted by said input means, and accuracy is stepwise improved each time said repetition is performed. . 4. The color printer according to claim 1, wherein said image output means prints an output image. 5. The color printer according to claim 1, wherein said image output means monitors an output image on a screen. 6. Inputting representative color data to be color-adjusted and its increase / decrease width data, creating a color data value of a color to be output based on the input color data and increase / decrease width data, and using the created color data value. A color adjustment method for a color printer, comprising outputting an image. 7. A color adjustment method for a color printer according to claim 6, wherein a number of repetitions is input in place of said increase / decrease data, and color data values are created and images are output for the input number of repetitions. . 8. A color adjustment method for a color printer according to claim 7, wherein the magnitude of the initial value of said increase / decrease width data is inputted, and the accuracy is stepwise improved each time said repetition is performed. . 9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image output is for printing an output image.
The color adjustment method of the color printer described in the paragraph. 10. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image output is for monitoring an output image on a screen.
The color adjustment method for a color printer according to any one of the above items.