A technique includes printing a first image including a plurality of edge pixels and a second image with a lower ratio of edges pixels than the first image and an average density equal to that of the first image and determining a value of a processing parameter so that the average densities of the first image and the second image match. The technique is configured to realize appropriate pre-print processing while preventing the average densities from being low due to the excessive pre-print processing or being high due to the insufficient pre-print processing.

A computer implemented method for proofing a selected part of a graphical data input file for output to an output device by automatically adjusting at least one graphics feature in the input file to compensate for a predetermined resolution limit. The method includes identifying one or more portions in the selected part of the input file having an initial thickness less than the resolution limit, determining a set of optimal anisotropic offset parameters that will bring the one or more portions above the predetermined resolution limit with a minimal total offset value, applying an offset using the anisotropic offset parameters to modify the selected part of the input file to give the one or more portions an adjusted thickness greater than the initial thickness, and creating an output file comprising the at least one graphics feature having the adjusted thickness.

An image processing apparatus includes an image processor that performs error diffusion processing by applying an error diffusion matrix to multi-valued image data having pixels two-dimensionally arranged, so as to convert the multi-valued image data into binary image data. The binarization unit applies an error diffusion matrix in which the diffusion coefficient of a pixel diagonal to a focused-on pixel is greater than those of other pixels.

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium and apparatus for generating an output image are disclosed. For example, the method includes receiving an image, applying a first filter, applying a second filter, calculating a difference between the image with the second filter that was applied and the image with the first filter that was applied and transmitting the difference to a sharpening module and a segmentation module to generate the output image.

The invention provides an image forming device, which can generate a multi-valued image based on a binary image. An image forming device includes: an image acquisition part for acquiring a binary image; and a multi-valued image generation part generating a multi-valued image including a specific pixel based on pixel values of pixels within a first image region with a first size including the specific pixel and pixel values of pixels within a second image region with a second size different from the first size including the specific pixel in the binary image.

A technique includes printing a first image including a plurality of edge pixels and a second image with a lower ratio of edges pixels than the first image and an average density equal to that of the first image and determining a value of a processing parameter so that the average densities of the first image and the second image match. The technique is configured to realize appropriate pre-print processing while preventing the average densities from being low due to the excessive pre-print processing or being high due to the insufficient pre-print processing.

A computer implemented method for proofing a selected part of a graphical data input file for output to an output device by automatically adjusting at least one graphics feature in the input file to compensate for a predetermined resolution limit. The method includes identifying one or more portions in the selected part of the input file having an initial thickness less than the resolution limit, determining a set of optimal anisotropic offset parameters that will bring the one or more portions above the predetermined resolution limit with a minimal total offset value, applying an offset using the anisotropic offset parameters to modify the selected part of the input file to give the one or more portions an adjusted thickness greater than the initial thickness, and creating an output file comprising the at least one graphics feature having the adjusted thickness.

A printing apparatus includes a reception unit that receives outline information representing an outline of a character, a generation unit that generates, using the outline information, a bitmap including pixels corresponding to the character, the pixels being associated with a graphic attribute, a changing unit that refers an attribute associated with a pixel adjacent to one of the pixels corresponding to the character, and changes a density value of the adjacent pixel associated with the referred attribute being different from a graphic attribute and a character attribute to a density which is based on a density value of the one pixel, and a printing unit that prints an image based on the bitmap after the change.

A method for improving the print quality of graphic elements, in particular vectorized letter graphics, in PDF documents in the prepress stage of a printing process by using a computer, includes analyzing the page content of the PDF document by using the computer and saving the page content in a suitable data structure, searching the data structure for graphic elements, in particular letter graphics, that fulfill specific predefined criteria relating to an evaluation of the height and width of the graphic paths of graphic elements that are present in the PDF document, by using the computer, converting the selected graphic elements into image masks by rendering the selected graphic elements on the computer and substituting the generated image masks for the originally selected graphic elements in the PDF document by using the computer. The PDF document with the generated image masks are printed on a printing machine.

An image processing apparatus performs: acquiring target image data representing a target image including a plurality of pixels, the target image data including a plurality of pixel values each having a plurality of component values; generating image data, the image data being one of first and second component data respectively including a plurality of first and second pixel values, each of the plurality of first and second pixel values being respectively related to maximum and minimum values among the plurality of component values of corresponding one of the plurality of pixels; calculating a plurality of edge strengths corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of pixels using the image data to generate edge strength data including the plurality of edge strengths; and specifying a plurality of edge pixels included in the target image. The specifying includes binarizing the edge strength data to generate binary image data.