A recording device includes a head including a first nozzle row that discharges a plurality of drawing inks; and a second nozzle row that discharges an overcoat ink posterior to the drawing inks, and also includes a dot-data generating unit that performs dot-data generating processing including halftone processing using a dither mask. When generating dot data used to perform recording in accordance with a first recording mode in which no nozzle that discharges the overcoat ink is assigned to part of pixels in a recording target region of the recording medium, the first recording mode being a recording mode using the second nozzle row, the dot-data generating unit generates the dot data by using a first overcoat dither mask having a threshold value set so as not to form a dot with the overcoat ink on the part of pixels.

An image processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires N-valued image data corresponding to an image including at least one object, and edge data indicating an edge area of the object, an image processing unit that generates M-valued (N>M≥2) quantized data where each of a plurality of pixels is associated with one of a value indicating that no dot is to be recorded and a value indicating that a dot is to be recorded, based on the acquired image data, using an image processing parameter, and a changing unit that changes at least one pixel among pixels that indicate the edge area of the object in the edge data and have the value indicating that no dot is to be recorded in the quantized data so that the at least one pixel has the value indicating that the dot is to be recorded.

A quantized value for a pixel of interest in an input image is derived by using a predetermined threshold value matrix. Then, based on a pixel value group in a predetermined reference area including the pixel of interest in the input image and a threshold value group corresponding thereto, directionality of correction is determined. Further, based on the pixel value group and the threshold value group, whether or not the pixel of interest satisfies a predetermined condition for changing the quantized value is determined. Then, based on both the determination results, the quantized value is corrected.

A recording device includes a head including a first nozzle row that discharges a plurality of drawing inks; and a second nozzle row that discharges an overcoat ink posterior to the drawing inks, and also includes a dot-data generating unit that performs dot-data generating processing including halftone processing using a dither mask. When generating dot data used to perform recording in accordance with a first recording mode in which no nozzle that discharges the overcoat ink is assigned to part of pixels in a recording target region of the recording medium, the first recording mode being a recording mode using the second nozzle row, the dot-data generating unit generates the dot data by using a first overcoat dither mask having a threshold value set so as not to form a dot with the overcoat ink on the part of pixels.

An image processing apparatus generates image data for an image forming apparatus having a recording head with recording elements in a first direction that forms an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink from the elements toward the medium fed in a second direction perpendicular to the first. The apparatus has an acquiring unit that acquires multi-valued input image data having tones, a conversion unit that converts the input image data into halftone image data indicating a dot pattern, by using a dither matrix, and a correction processing unit that executes a density unevenness correction process in accordance with properties of each of the recording elements. The properties of the elements are obtained by reading a chart image formed based on the halftone image data. The dither matrix is a dispersive dither matrix with a size of Sx rows corresponding to the second direction, Sx, a natural number.

A method of generating image data by acquiring first image data having a tone value of each pixel for each color and generating second image data. Generating the second image data by selecting a first pixel of the first image data; binarizing the tone value of the first pixel in response to a comparison result showing that the tone value of the first pixel is greater than the first threshold, binarizing the tone value of the first pixel in response to a comparison result showing that the tone value of the first pixel is smaller than the second threshold, and binarizing the tone value of the first pixel in response to a comparison result showing that the tone value of the first pixel is equal to or less than the first threshold and is equal to or greater than the second threshold.

There are provided a printing system, a method of generating a halftone processing rule, a method of acquiring a characteristic parameter, image processing device and method, a halftone processing rule, a halftone image, a method of manufacturing a printed material, an ink jet printing system, and a program which are capable of reducing an operation load of a user and acquiring a halftone processing rule appropriate for the printing system. A characteristic parameter acquisition chart including a pattern for acquiring characteristic parameters related to characteristics of the printing system is output, and the output characteristic parameter acquisition chart is read by image reading means. The characteristic parameters are acquired by analyzing the read image of the characteristic parameter acquisition chart, and halftone processing rules that define the processing contents of halftone processes used in the printing system are generated based on the acquired characteristic parameters.

An image processing apparatus generates image data for an image forming apparatus having a recording head with recording elements in a first direction that forms an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink from the elements toward the medium fed in a second direction perpendicular to the first. The apparatus has an acquiring unit that acquires multi-valued input image data having a uniform tone, a conversion unit that converts the input image data into halftone image data indicating a dot pattern, by using a dither matrix, and a correction processing unit that executes a density unevenness correction process in accordance with properties of each of the elements. The properties of the elements are obtained by reading a chart image formed based on the halftone image data. The dither matrix is a dispersive dither matrix with a size of Sx rows corresponding to the second direction, Sx, a natural number.

Systems, methods, software for halftoning. In one embodiment, a halftone system receives a raster image comprising an array of pixels, and performs a multi-level halftoning process on one or more blocks of the pixels. The system identifies thresholds that distinguish different intensity levels. For each block, the system identifies a set of pixel values for the pixels in the block, performs a vectorized comparison of the set of pixel values to each of the thresholds to generate sets of comparison bits, and performs ternary logic operations with three of the sets of comparison bits as input to define a set of low-order bits and a set of higher-order bits for the pixels in the block.

For a dither matrix used when converting multivalued data into image data for an output apparatus, thresholds are set such that a first dot and a second dot alternately become larger until both of the first dot and the second dot reach a first dot size, after both of the first dot and the second dot reach the first dot size, the first dot becomes larger until the first dot reaches a second dot size while the second dot does not become larger, and, thereafter, the second dot becomes larger until the second dot reaches the second dot size while the first dot does not become larger, and after both of the first dot and the second dot reach the second dot size, the first dot and the second dot alternately become larger.