An image capturing unit captures an image including an embedded image that is printed on the basis of image data in which at least a color component has been modulated according to additional information. An adjustment unit adjusts a white balance of the image captured by the image capturing unit on the basis of an adjustment value associated with the embedded image. A processing unit processes image data of the image captured by the image capturing unit whose white balance has been adjusted by the adjustment unit to read the additional information in the image captured by the image capturing unit.

An image capturing unit captures an image including an embedded image that is printed on the basis of image data in which at least a color component has been modulated according to additional information. An adjustment unit adjusts a white balance of the image captured by the image capturing unit on the basis of an adjustment value associated with the embedded image. A processing unit processes image data of the image captured by the image capturing unit whose white balance has been adjusted by the adjustment unit to read the additional information in the image captured by the image capturing unit.

A pixel that is a target pixel being a processing target of a first multi-valuing unit is regarded as a first target pixel. A pixel that belongs to a pixel row adjacent to the pixel row to which the first target pixel belongs in the image data before conversion and is a target pixel being a processing target of a second multi-valuing unit is regarded as a second target pixel. A conversion unit converts the pixel array in the image data so that the first target pixel and the second target pixel are stored at serial addresses in a memory. An error diffusion processing unit performs multi-valuing by the first multi-valuing unit for the first target pixel in the image data after conversion and multi-valuing by the second multi-valuing unit for the second target pixel in the image data after conversion in a parallel manner.

A method of color image processing for quantizing output includes obtaining an input for an object pixel which is represented by a vector in a first color space. A modified input equal to the input plus a sum of errors from other pixels in a neighborhood of the object pixel is generated. For each color component in the first color space, where corresponding color components of the modified input are located with respect to a preset range is determined. If the modified input's color component is greater than the preset range, then that color component for an output is determined to be on; if less than the preset range, then that color component for the output is determine to be off; and, if within the preset range, then that color component for the output is determined to be unknown. A transformed modified input is mapped to a perceptual color space when any color component of the output is unknown. Colors consistent with color components of the output that have already been determined are also mapped to the perceptual color space. The color in the perceptual color space that lies closest to the transformed modified input is chosen. An output in the first color space having color components on and off is generated consistent with the determinations and/or choices made. Error for the object pixel is then calculated as the difference between the output and the modified input.

An image shifter creates plural pairs of shift image data. A shading corrector and a halftone dot processor create halftone shift image data from shift images. Further, a difference image creator creates halftone common image data which is a common part of a pair of halftone shift image data, and creates halftone positive difference image data and halftone negative difference image data each of which is a difference between the halftone common image data and one of a pair of halftone shift image data. A composite image creator synthesizes the halftone common image data corresponding to an amount of positional deviation, and the halftone positive difference image data or halftone negative difference image data. A controller executes printing on web paper. Since the image data is only synthesized, processing load can be lightened even if printing is performed to restrain positional deviations.

A method of determining multi-level printing parameters for a printing device includes identifying printing parameters for each of multiple colorant levels; providing at least one density measurement at a known coverage for each colorant level; providing an aim curve relating input tone value to printed density value; and identifying multiple test parameter sets. The method further includes, for each of the test parameter sets at each of multiple input tone values, determining a printed density value based on the parameters of the test parameter set and the density measurements, and determining an error value from differences between the determined printed density values and the aim curve. The method also includes selecting one of the test parameter sets using the determined error values; and communicating the selected one of the plurality of test parameter sets for receipt by the printing device for printing documents. Systems and software can employ the method.

A system, method, and non-transitory computer readable medium are disclosed for mitigating dot placement errors for a given print job. The method includes processing tone values on a per pixel basis to determine whether to implement plane dependence. Plane independence is implemented if the tone value exceeds a predetermined threshold. The method may be performed on a pixel by pixel basis and/or a print object or region basis. Determining whether to implement plane dependence may involve de-asserting or partially de-asserting a plane dependence component of an executed half-toning instruction between sequentially processed color planes of a printing system.

A method of screening a continuous-tone image is configured to produce an output image to be printed on a surface. The continuous-tone image comprises a plurality of pixels having respective corresponding intended print locations. The method includes selecting a first sequence comprising a subset of the plurality of intended print locations, the first sequence being selected based on properties of the plurality of intended print locations.

For each intended print location in the first sequence, the method also includes identifying the corresponding pixel in the continuous-tone image to obtain a second sequence for an error diffusion process comprising the identified corresponding pixels in the continuous-tone image.

An image forming device is provided, including a generation part, a determination part and a printing part. The generation part generates a plurality of types of binarized image data with respect to original image data. The determination part determines the binarized image data, in which an error between each of the plurality of the types of the binarized image data and the original image data is smaller, among the plurality of the types of the binarized image data. The printing part prints the binarized image data determined by the determination part on a medium.

An image processing method in which image data including a grayscale value in each pixel is converted into print data including formation necessity of dots, includes extracting a region in which a total value of the grayscale value of the pixel included in each predetermined division in which the image data is divided does not become a predetermined threshold value as a non-processing region; and extracting a region surrounded with the non-processing region as a processing region.