The image processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a first memory configured to store a first threshold value matrix used for halftone processing; a second memory configured to store a second threshold value matrix that is a threshold value matrix used for halftone processing and whose size is larger than the first threshold value matrix; and at least one circuit, the at least one circuit causing processing below: performing halftone processing for image data by using the first threshold value matrix or the second threshold value matrix selected based on attribute information on the image data, and the first threshold value matrix includes threshold values whose maximum number of bits is N and the second threshold value matrix includes threshold values whose maximum number of bits is M (M<N).

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 includes a target value calculation unit configured to calculate a target value to be output in a predetermined region in input image data based on pixel values of pixels included in the region, a distribution order determination unit configured to determine a distribution order of output values for distributing output values corresponding to the target value in the region based on a pixel value of each pixel included in the region and a threshold value in the threshold matrix corresponding to the pixel, and an output value determination unit configured to determine an output value of each pixel included in the region by allocating the target value to at least one pixel included in the region in the distribution order.

Quantization is performed on multi-valued data corresponding to a non-overlap recording area and one of recording heads on the basis of a dither pattern and multi-valued data corresponding to the non-overlap recording area and the other one of the recording heads, and also arrangements of thresholds for the dither patterns used between the scanning operations are varied.

An image forming device includes: a hardware processor that performs halftone processing on input image data using a threshold matrix of a dither method, and that, when dot missing exists in a formed image by the image forming part, performs interpolation by rearranging a missing dot to peripheral pixel position; and an image forming part that forms an image on a recording medium on the basis of image data after halftone processing by the halftone processing part, wherein the hardware processor, using the threshold matrix, sets a blank pixel having a high probability of being generated next when gradation is increased, as a rearrangement destination of the missing dot.

A storage device stores dither patterns composed of three-dimensional block consisting of the number H of dots in a horizontal directionthe number V of lines in a vertical directionthe number F of frame directions. Each value from a minimum value to a maximum value of dither values of n bits is written in each address of the storage device corresponding to each dot. When each value is written into the storage device, processing of obtaining a spatiotemporal density value indicating a degree of density of an address in which a dither value has already been written in a predetermined three-dimensional area centered on each of the addresses in which a new dither value is writable, and processing of selecting an address having the smallest spatiotemporal density value among the addresses in which a new dither value is writable and writing a dither value are repeated.

Measures for use in calibrating a printing device. Historical dot gain linearization lookup table data for the printing device is processed. On the basis of the processed historical dot gain linearization lookup table data, a plurality of input points for a current dot gain linearization lookup table are dynamically determined. The printing device is calibrated according to the dynamically determined current dot gain linearization lookup table.

An image processing apparatus for forming an image by superimposing n (n2) records on a same region in a recording medium includes: a holding unit configured to hold a threshold matrix characteristic representing a dispersity of a dot pattern of each tone obtained when dithering is performed using a threshold matrix; a setting unit configured to set recording data for n recording scans by dividing image data for the n recording scans based on the threshold matrix characteristic; and a halftoning unit configured to perform dithering using the threshold matrix on the recording data for each of the n records.

A processing apparatus comprises a correction processor which executes a density unevenness correction process in accordance with properties of each of recording elements included in a recording head of an recoding apparatus, and a convertor which converts the image data, on which the density unevenness correction processing has been executed, into halftone image data, by using a dither matrix, wherein the dither matrix is a dispersive dither matrix, and has characteristics in which when input image data having a uniform tone is converted into binary halftone image data, the same number of dots are present at each of locations in a first direction, in a predetermined range in a second direction, for a tone, among the tones which the input image data can take on, that is subject to the density unevenness correction process.

An image processing apparatus includes a target value calculation unit configured to calculate a target value to be output in a predetermined region in input image data based on pixel values of pixels included in the region, a distribution order determination unit configured to determine a distribution order of output values for distributing output values corresponding to the target value in the region based on a pixel value of each pixel included in the region and a threshold value in the threshold matrix corresponding to the pixel, and an output value determination unit configured to determine an output value of each pixel included in the region by allocating the target value to at least one pixel included in the region in the distribution order.