Image processing apparatus, method, and program product determining show-through of image formed on translucent print medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9239971-B2
Application number	US-201514630671-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2015
Priority date	Mar 3, 2014
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

An image processing apparatus including: a unit configured to acquire a translucency reference value indicating optical translucency in a specified translucent printing medium; a show-through determination unit configured to determine whether an image that is formed on the translucent printing medium in accordance with print data shows through by determining whether there exists a difference between the density of a pixel in the print data and the density specified by the acquired translucency reference value and whether the density of the pixel in the print data is lower than the density specified by the translucency reference value; and a first determination unit configured to determine whether a user should be notified of information about whether an image that is formed on the translucent printing medium in accordance with the print data shows through in accordance with the results of the determination by the show-through determination unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:
a unit configured to acquire a translucency reference value indicating optical translucency in a specified translucent printing medium;
a show-through determination unit configured to determine whether an image that is formed on the translucent printing medium in accordance with print data shows through by determining whether there exists a difference between the density of a pixel in the print data and the density specified by the acquired translucency reference value and whether the density of the pixel in the print data is lower than the density specified by the translucency reference value; and
a first determination unit configured to determine whether a user should be notified of information about whether an image that is formed on the translucent printing medium in accordance with the print data shows through in accordance with the results of the determination by the show-through determination unit.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the show-through determination unit determines that the image does not show through in a case where there exits a difference between the density of the pixel in the print data and the density specified by the acquired translucency reference value and in a case where the number of pixels in the print data, the density of which is determined to be lower than the density specified by the translucency reference value, exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
in the case where the show-through determination unit determines that the image does not show through, the first determination unit determines that a user should be notified of the results of the determination.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a unit configured to acquire an expected blurring ratio as a reference of blurring in a specified translucent printing medium;
a unit configured to, in a case where an image according to print data is printed on a first side of the specified translucent printing medium, derive a predicted blurring ratio indicating a degree of blurring with which the image is seen from a second side different from the first side; and
a blurring ratio determination unit configured to determine whether the derived predicted blurring ratio reaches the acquired expected blurring ratio.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the predicted blurring ratio (Re) is found by an expression below
Re= 1− Ruv , and

Ruv is found by an expression below

R
uv

=

S
f

S
all

where S f denotes an invisible area of the image according to the print data and S all denotes a portion where the pixel value is not 0 of the image according to the print data.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the invisible area is an area corresponding to a pixel determined to be a pixel that does not show through by the show-through determination unit.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a second determination unit configured to, in a case where it is determined that the derived predicted blurring ratio does not reach the acquired expected blurring ration by the blurring ratio determination unit, notify a user of the results of the determination.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
the second determination unit further determines that an image indicating the invisible area should be displayed in the case where the notification is made.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a search unit configured to search for another translucent printing medium that satisfies the acquired translucency reference value in the case where it is determined that the image does not show through by the show-through determination unit, wherein
in a case where the search unit has searched for another translucent printing medium that satisfies the acquired translucency reference value, the first determination unit determines that the other translucent printing medium should be presented to a user.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the acquisition unit acquires a translucency reference value set for each color of color materials used in the printing.

11. An image processing method comprising the steps of:
acquiring a translucency reference value indicating optical translucency in a specified translucent printing medium;
determining whether an image that is formed on the translucent printing medium in accordance with print data shows through by determining whether there exists a difference between the density of a pixel in the print data and the density specified by the acquired translucency reference value and whether the density of the pixel in the print data is lower than the density specified by the translucency reference value; and
determining whether a user should be notified of information about whether an image that is formed on the translucent printing medium in accordance with the print data shows through in accordance with the results of the determination in the determination step.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform the method according to claim 11 .

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Tanaka Hirotomo

Classifications

• G03G15/5062 Primary

  by measuring the characteristics of an image on the copy material · CPC title

• H04N1/00045

  using a reference pattern designed for the purpose, e.g. a test chart · CPC title

• H04N1/0005

  in service, i.e. during normal operation · CPC title

• H04N1/00005

  relating to image data · CPC title

• G06K15/027

  Test patterns and calibration (arrangements for controlling or analysing printing mechanisms of typewriters or selective printing units B41J29/393 takes precedence; colour correction using test pattern analysis in general H04N1/6033) · CPC title