Image reproduction

• US 7,450,268 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2004
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Simske, Steven John, Benedicto, Jordi Arnabat, Vega, Ramon, Martinez, Oscar
• Primary Examiner(s): Rogers, Scott A
• Application Number:
  US10/884,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20060001690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.9, 358/2.1, 358/3.24, 358/3.27, 358/1.11, 358/1.2, 358/1.18, 358/529, 358/530, 358/532, 358/538, 358/453, 358/462, 358/2.99, 382/173, 382/176, 382/254, 382/266, 382/282, 382/286, 382289-292, 382295-299
• US Class Current: 358/1.9
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/393 Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine ; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns

Abstract

A method of reproducing an image, comprising:

• creating a, or using an already existing, bitmap-input image;
• finding zones in the input image containing text;
• determining colors of pixels, characters, or larger text items in the text zones;
• reproducing the image, wherein pixels, characters or larger text items with a color near to a primary color are reproduced in the primary color.

Claims

1. A method of reproducing an image by an ink-jet printing device, comprising:

creating a, or using an a ready existing, bitmap-input image;

finding zones in the input image containing text;

determining (i) colors of pixels, characters, or larger text items in the text zones, (ii) sizes of the characters or larger text items, (iii) a main orientation of the text in the input image;

printing the image, wherein (i) pixels, characters or larger text items with a color near to a basic color are reproduced in the basic color, (ii) smaller text is reproduced with a higher spatial resolution than larger text, (iii) the image is printed in a print direction transverse to a main reading direction of the text, based on the main text orientation determined.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the input image is created by scanning or capturing a physical image and producing a bitmap representation of it, or by converting an image represented by structured data into the bitmap-input image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining and reproducing the color of characters or larger text items comprises:

recognizing characters by optical character recognition;

averaging the colors of the pixels associated with recognized characters or larger text items;

reproducing the characters or larger text items, when the average color of a character or larger text item is near to a basic color, in the basic color.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the higher spatial resolution for smaller text is achieved by using a higher-resolution-print mask for the smaller text.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, for the printing process, a page orientation is chosen such that the print direction is transverse to the main reading direction of the text.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the color representation of pixels in the input image which are to be printed in a modified color, i.e. a basic color, is transformed into a representation of the basic color, and the image transformed in this way is then printed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein pixels in the input image which are to be printed in a modified color, i.e. a basic color, are tagged, and wherein, during the printing process, the tagged pixels are printed in the modified color.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein pixels associated with characters or larger text items to be printed with a higher spatial resolution are tagged, and wherein, during the printing process, a higher spatial resolution is chosen for tagged pixels.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein pixels associated with text in text zones found are tagged, and wherein the way of printing pixels tagged as text pixels differs from that of other pixels by at least one of:

different halftone methods are applied,

different spatial or color resolutions are used,

different linearization methods are used,

edges are treated in a different manner,

text is underprinted with color to increase optical density.

10. A method of reproducing an image, comprising:

creating a, or using an already existing, bitmap-input image;

finding zones in the input image containing text;

determining colors of pixels, characters, or larger text items in the text zones;

reproducing the image, wherein pixels, characters or larger text items with a color near to a primary color are reproduced in the primary color.

11. A method of reproducing an image, comprising:

creating a, or using an already existing!bitmap-input image;

finding zones in the input image containing text;

determining colors of characters or larger text items in the text zones by recognizing characters by optical character recognition and averaging the colors of pixels associated with recognized characters or larger text items;

reproducing the image, wherein the characters or larger text items, when the average color of a character or larger text item is near to a basic color, are reproduced in the basic color.

12. A method of reproducing an image by an ink-jet printing device, comprising:

creating a, or using an already existing, bitmap-input image;

finding zones in the input image containing text;

determining a main orientation of the text in the zones found in the input image;

printing the image in a print direction transverse to a main reading direction of the text, based on the main text orientation determined.

13. An ink-jet printing device comprising:

a text finder arranged to find text zones in a bitmap-input image;

a color determiner arranged to determine colors of pixels, characters, or larger text items in the text zones;

a size determiner arranged to determine the size of the characters or larger text items;

an orientation determiner arranged to determine a main orientation of the text in the input image;

wherein the printing device is arranged to print the image such that (i) pixels, characters or larger text items with a color near to a basic color are reproduced in the basic color, (ii) smaller text is reproduced with a higher spatial resolution than larger text, (iii) the image is printed in a print direction transverse to a main reading direction of the text, based on the main text orientation determined.

14. The ink-jet printing device of claim 13, comprising a scanner or capturing device to obtain the bitmap-input image from a physical image.

15. The ink-jet printing device of claim 13, comprising an image-representation converter arranged to convert an image represented by structured data into the bitmap-input image.

16. The ink-jet printing device of claim 13, wherein the color determiner is arranged to recognize characters by optical character recognition, average the colors of the pixels associated with recognized characters or larger text items;

and wherein the printing device is arranged to reproduce the characters or larger text items, when the average color of a character or larger text item is near to a basic color, in the basic color.

17. The ink-jet printing device of claim 13, arranged to use higher-resolution-print masks for smaller text to achieve the higher spatial resolution for the smaller text.

18. The ink-jet printing device of claim 13, comprising a page-orientation turner arranged to turn the page to be printed to an orientation in which the print direction is transverse to the main reading direction of the text.

19. The ink-jet printing device of claim 13, comprising a color transformer arranged to transform the color representation of pixels in the input image which are to be printed in a modified color, i.e. a basic color, into a representation of the basic color.

20. The ink-jet printing device of claim 13, comprising a color tagger arranged to tag pixels in the input image which are to be printed in a modified color, i.e. a basic color, wherein the printing device is arranged, during the printing process, to print the tagged pixels in the modified color.

21. The ink-jet printing device of claim 13, comprising a small-text tagger arranged to tag pixels associated with characters or larger text items to be printed with a higher spatial resolution, wherein the printing device is arranged, during the printing process, to choose a higher spatial resolution for tagged pixels.

22. The ink-jet printing device of claim 13, comprising a text tagger arranged to tag pixels associated with text in text zones found, wherein the printing device is arranged to print pixels tagged as text pixels in a way that differs from that of other pixels by at least one of:

different halftone methods,

different spatial or color resolutions,

different linearization methods,

different edge-treatment,

text underprint with color to increase optical density.

23. An image-reproduction device comprising:

a text finder arranged to find text zones in a bitmap-input image;

a color determiner arranged to determine colors of pixels, characters, or larger text items in the text zones;

wherein the image-reproduction device is arranged to reproduce the image such that pixels, characters or larger text items with a color near to a primary color are reproduced in the primary color.

24. An image-reproduction device comprising:

a text tinder arranged to find text zones in a bitmap-input image;

a color determiner arranged to determine colors of pixels, characters, or larger text items in the text zones by optical character recognition and average the colors of pixels associated with recognized characters or larger text items;

wherein the image-reproduction device is arranged to reproduce the image such that the characters or larger text items, when the average color of a character or larger text item is near to a basic color, in the basic color.

25. An ink-jet printing device comprising:

a text finder arranged to find text zones in a bitmap-input image;

an orientation determiner arranged to determine a main orientation of the text In the Input image;

wherein the printing device is arranged to print the image in a print direction transverse to a main reading direction of the text, based on the main text orientation determined.