Method of processing picture data for printing process

Abstract: This system relates to a technology for inputting picture data from a manuscript using a layout scanner. When in­ putting picture data from the manuscript, a layout sheet is set on position data input means such as a data tablet to obtain a specified point on the layout sheet and position data includ­ ing a trimming range. The position data is delivered to a dis­ play together with the picture data. Displaying the picture data and the position data with they being superimposed with each other, the position data is visually confirmed and a necessary correction is made. Another method is to record position data into a recording medium e.g. floppy disk etc. to allow a layout scanner to output the picture data by applying exposure process thereto on the basis of the recording con­ tents of the recording medium.

Description: In recent years, it becomes popular to perform trimming or layout in the printing process using a system having an edit function called a "layout scanner". The layout work carried out using this system has a procedure to once store picture data within a range for inputting a manuscript set in the scanner, thereafter to indicate it on a display as a partial picture image or an entire picture image averaged on the basis of a pixel dropping scheme. However, the drawbacks with this method are as follows: (1) An operator cannot identify an input picture image until input work of the manuscript is completed and then picture data is displayed on a monitor, with the result that even if there are problems e.g. degraded tone , occurrence of moire pattern, and miss setting of manuscript input range etc., he cannot notice them. (2) If an input picture image includes at least one among the above-mentioned problems, it is necessary to effect again input operation from the start. As a result, where a large quantity of manuscript pictures are input, a great quantity of time will be consumed. (3) A time for providing access to the memory is required for reading data on a display after it is once stored into the memory. The reduction of the time therefore is desirable. IEEE International Conference on Communications (VOL 1 of 3, June 13-17, 1982, pages 2G.3.1-2G.3.5, T. Omachi et al.: "High Resolution Image System for Teleconferencing" discloses a method for processing graphical picture data which is to be transmitted from a transmitter to a receiver to be displayed on a display. Since the manuscript which is scanned by a scanner may have a format which is different form that of the display, so-called pixel dropping processing is made. E.g., one may drop each odd numbered pixel from each row and each column. Thereby, the image area is reduced in horizontal and vertical direction. EP-A-0 0 83 989 discloses an image editing apparatus wherein cut regions of different dimensions from different manuscripts are to be stuck on a new manuscript to be formed. There exists a set of predetermined basic patterns which are use to locate the cut region within the area of the new document. The documents from which cut regions are to be extracted are scanned over the entire area. Then a display screen and a light pen are used to specify each cut region by designating the top left corner and the bottom right corner of the cut region. Then, automatically processing is performed in order to locate the cut regions within the area of the sheet to be edited. US-A-4,214,276 discloses an image editing apparatus in which cut regions from different documents are to be arranged within the area of a printing plane. To this end, regions from the manuscripts are scanned which are somewhat greater than the cut regions. The scanned areas are enlarged or reduced prior to arranging the regions on a digitizer table. Using the digitizer table and a position-sensing device, boundaries of the cut regions are defined and stored. Using the boundary signals, the images from the cut regions are stored. The object of the present invention is to provide a method for processing picture data capable of detecting inconvenience of input contents of manuscript picture image at an early stage to reduce waste time in the input operation of manuscript picture image as far as possible. This object is achieved by the present invention defined in the patent claim. Due to the specified point, which is related to the trimming range, the picture included in the trimming range can be moved in any direction by using the specified point as a reference. Moving the specified point also moves the trimming range. The present invention provides a trimming layout method to precisely determine a trimming range of input picture image data with good working efficiency. The present invention provides a method to indicate data within a rectangular region with a specified portion, i.e., a specified point in a picture image being as a center simultaneously with input of picture data by a layout scanner to visually confirm inconvenience in the input data, thus effecting a correct data input. The trimming layout method comprises the steps of carrying out pixel dropping processing so that only suitable pixel data are left among picture data input from a manuscript to indicate the entire picture image on a display, designating a specified point and a trimming range with respect to the picture data by using a layout data input device, implementing a display so that the designated specified point and the trimming range are superimposed on a picture image pixel-dropped on a display, and visually confirming the relationship between the trimming range and the specified point by utilizing the displayed picture image to make a necessary correction. A mask signal is formed on the basis of an ideal line data indicative of a pattern edge calculated by a computer in a layout scanner and a synchronizing signal every each dot in a scanner output circuit to output picture data output from a halftone point generating circuit on the basis of the mask signal. Position data are input within a trimming range by using a tablet digitizer and layout data are inputs indicating picture pattern number, block surface color, stet rule (frame of picture pattern), color, halftone percentage and variable magnification etc. to write them into a recording medium, thereby forwarding recording data in the recording medium and picture data received from a manuscript to a layout computer, thus forming data which undergo trimming layout processing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a view schematically illustrating a layout scanner employed in the method according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is an explanatory view showing how data e.g. trimming range etc. are input using a tablet in the apparatus shown in a Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation in an embodiment according to the present invention, Fig. 4 is an explanatory view for position data on a layout sheet in the embodiment according to the present invention, Fig. 5 is a view for explaining position data set on a picture input device in the embodiment according to the invention, Fig. 6 is an explanatory view showing the relationship between picture data stored in a memory and picture image data on a display in the embodiment according to the invention, Fig 7 is an explanatory view for a picture image indicated on a display in the embodiment according to the invention, Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation in a modification of the embodiment according to the invention Fig. 9 is an explanatory view showing the relationship between picture data stored in a memory and picture image data on a display in the modification of the embodiment according to the invention, Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation in a further modification of the embodiment according to the invention, and Fig. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for implementing the embodiment of the method according to the invention. Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown an apparatus used for implementing method according to the present invention. The apparatus includes a drum assembly 1 for a layout scanner, which comprises a scanning drum 1A and an exposure drum 1B. The exposure drum 1B is provided for effecting a photographic film exposure. It is used for exposure process subsequent to the picture data processing, and therefore its explanation will be omitted. A manuscript 2 is attached onto a peripheral surface of the scanning drum 1A. Picture data for the manuscript 2 are output from the scanning drum 1A by designating a scan range and a variable magnification to output the picture data of the manuscript 2, thereby to write the image data into a memory 8 through a control unit 3. This write operation is controlled by the control unit 3. The control unit 3 is operative to effect picture data processing in accordance with layout data input by a data tablet 4 or a keyboard 7. More particularly, the control unit 3 carries out an output of data to a display 6, computation e.g. trimming or layout etc. and an output of data to the exposure drum 1B in addition to the above-mentioned writing operation of data into the memory 8. The data tablet 4 and the key board 7 are considered as means having the same function in regard to implementation of data input to the control unit 3. With the data tablet, layout position data and specified point position data are input with an origin as a reference by means of a cursor 4A, and variable magnification data are input in a menu area 4B. With the key board 7, the above each data are measured or determined in advance and then corresponding numeric data are input. In accordance with the input data by the data tablet 4 or the keyboard 7, the control unit 3 carries out an input of image data of the manuscript 2 from the scanning drum 3, storage thereof into the memory 8, an output of the picture data in the memory 8 to the display 6 and to the exposure drum 1B, and computation e.g. trimming or layout etc. Fig. 2 is a schematic view for explaining input operation of position data by the data tablet in the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. This input operation is carried cut by setting a layout sheet 5 on the data tablet 4 to input an origin O (O, O) two vertexes P₁(x₁, y₁) and P₂(x₂, y₂) or a rectangle defining a trimming area K, and a specified point P a (x a , y a ) in accordance with designation by the cursor 4A. Thus, the trimming range K and the specified point P a of the picture are input with the origin O as a reference. Where the trimming range is defined by a circular area instead of the rectangular area, it is required to input a central point and one point on the circumference. Further, where the trimming range is defined by a polygonal area, it is required to input coordinates indicative of respective vertexes. The picture image indicated without applying dropping operation to pixels defines the data stored in the memory 8 (Fig. 1), i.e., so that the data stored in the memory 8 and the data indicated on the display 6 have one-to-one correspondence. Accordingly, only a portion of the picture image is indicated instead of the entire image. The indicated portion is displayed symmetrically with respect to horizontal and vertical directions by using a designated point P o (X o , Y o ) calculated so as to correspond to the specified point P a in Fig.2 as a central point. Since the designated point P o (X o , Y o ) is calculated from the scanning ranges input visually determined by an operator depending on his intuition, the position of the designated point P o is different from that of the contemplated specified point P a (X a , Y a ) in most cases. In the figure shown, the position coordinates of a specified point P a to be located at the central point P o are displaced in the both x and y directions, respectively. The displacement between the designated point and the specified point results in a partial lack of picture data at the stage of trimming or layout subsequently carried out unless corrective operation is applied to the displacement. Accordingly, it is necessary to make a correction so that the designated point and the specified point correspond to each other. In order to precisely and rapidly effect coincidence operation, it is desirable that the indicated picture image on the display 6 is large. However, if it is too large, there is a possibility that the specified point cannot fall within the screen when a displacement between the designated point and the specified point is above a certain value. In view of this, the image data stored in the memory 8 (Fig. 1) is indicated so that they have one-to-one correspondence and the designated point is placed on the central position. To effect such a display, the control unit 3 performs the following computation. It is now assumed that the position coordinates of the designated point P o (X o , Y o ) in regard of the picture data stored in the memory 8 are expressed as follows: where L ₁ and L₂ denote number of pixels per unit length in the rotational and scanning directions, respectively, S x and S y denote scanning ranges in the X and Y directions (mm), respectively, and α denotes a variable magnification. It is further assumed that displacements E x and E y between the designated point P o and the designated point P a ′ (X a ′, Y a ′) are expressed as follows: where D₁ and D₂ denote the number of pixels displayed in lateral and vertical directions of the display, respectively. Thus, an operation is effected to calculate the position coordinates of the point P₁′(x₁′, y₁′) and P₂′(x₂′, y₂′) corresponding to the points P₁(x₁, y₁) and P₂(x₂, y₂), respectively in regard of the data in the memory 8 by using E x and E y expressed by the equation (2) to effect a trimming layout based on the displacement values E x and E y , thus making it possible to precisely the coordinate position of the trimming range K. The computation therefor is as follows. The position coordinates of the P₁′(X₁′, Y₁′), are calculated as follows: Further, the position coordinates of the point P₂′(x₂′, y₂′) are calculated as follows: A rectangle determined by the position coordinates of these points P₁′ and P₂′ defines a trimming range. Referring to Fig. 11, there is shown a third embodiment of a picture data processing system according to the present invention. The picture data processing system incluces the picture input device 1, e.g. a scanning drum for a scanner onto which the manuscript 2 is attached. The data input from the manuscript 2 is stored into the memory 8 by the control unit 3 in which a computer is incorporated. To the control unit 3, coordinate data based on the layout from the picture input device 1 are input in addition to the image data. Further, input data instructed by an operator are input to the control unit 3 by means of the key board 7. The data stored in the memory 8 is fed to the display 6 through the control unit 3 for indicating it on the display 6. In use, an operation is effected to designate a trimming range with respect to the image data stored in the memory 8. By using an arbitrary number of picture data to which designation operation of the trimming range is applied and the coordinate data based on the layout sheet 5, trimming/layout processing is carried out. The data prepared by this processing is stored into the memory 8. The data stored in the memory 8 is read by the picture data output device 1B e.g. an exposure drum for a scanner and is used for exposing a film. Fig. 3 shows a flowchart showing the operation of the third embodiment of the system according to the present invention. This flowchart begins from the condition where the data input from the manuscript 2 has been already stored in the memory 8. A first step is to calculate what extent of pixels be dropped by the control unit 3 in order to indicate the entire image using the number of pixels required for indication on the display 6. An operation is conducted to drop the data stored in the memory 8 depending upon the calculated value to the image data subject to pixel dropping processing to the display 6 to indicate the entire image thereon (S1). The reason why the entire image is used is to set the specified point and the trimming range at a suitable position with respect to the entire picture of the manuscript. The position coordinates of the specified point is determined based on computation or designation of a specified point of the manuscript picture by an operator (S2). The trimming range is calculated by using the position coordinates of the information from the layout sheet 5. The specified point and the trimming range thus determined are indicated on the display 6 (S3). Next step is to judge as to whether other processings are required or not for the operator based on the observation of the displayed image (S4). As a result, when it is judged that a further processing is not required, the processing is completed. In contrast, when it is judged that the further processing is required, the judgement as to whether correction of the specified point is required or not is made (S5). When the correction of the specified point is required, an operation is conducted to shift the specified point (S6) to indicate the specified point and the trimming range after shifting (S3). Then, the operations indicated by the steps S4 and S5 will be repeated. Where the correction of the specified point is not required in the step S5, a plurality of portions on the trimming line encirculing the specified point and the trimming range are indicated. When such an indication is carried out, the image data stored in the memory 8 is read out with the pixel dropping being not applied to the image data to indicate respective pixel data at partitioned sections on the display. The observation of the displayed image by the operator can clearly confirm as to whether the specified point is located at a desired position or not (S8). When needed, an operation is conducted to shift the specified point (S9) to indicate the image shifted on the display 6 (S7). In contrast, when not needed, the operation is completed. The details of the processing shown in Fig. 12 and the matters relevant thereto will be described with reference to Figs. 13 to 16. Fig. 4 shows the layout sheet 5 set on the layout data input device 4 shown in Fig. 11. In this example, layout position data P₁(x₁, y₁) and P₂(x₂, y₂) are given as indicated to define a rectangular trimming range of the picture to be input wherein specified point coordinates P a (x a , y a ) are given within the trimming range so as to designate a picture or graphic pattern. Fig. 5 is an explanatory view illustrating a method for inputting picture data using the picture data input device 1. The picture data input device 1 inputs the picture data so that pattern range indicated on the layout sheet i.e. the trimming range is included by setting the scanning range with horizontal and vertical lengths being equal to S x and S y , respectively. Fig. 6 shows a method of determining a pixel dropping rate indicated in the step S1 of the flowchart shown in Fig. 3. When an attention is drawn to the memory 8 shown at the lower side in this figure, numbers I x and I y of pixels of the picture data are expressed as follows: I x = L x ·S x ·α, and I y = L y ·S y .α, where L x and L y denote the numbers of pixels per unit length in the rotational and scanning directions, respectively, and a denotes a variable magnification. To indicate the picture data on the display 6 at the dropping rate of r to 1 so that the entire picture data can be observed, dropping operation is carried out using the parameter r calculated below. r = max[(I x )/D x +1, (I y -1)/D y +1, 1], where D x and D y denote the number of pixels to be displayed in the rotational and scanning directions, respectively. Thus, this makes it possible to indicate the entire image on the display 6 having a number of pixels smaller than that of the memory 8. An operation is effected to determine a point P b (x b , y b ) on the input picture data corresponding to the specified point P a (x a , y a ) on the layout sheet using the values of the points P₁(x₁, y₁) and P₂(x₂, y₂) on the basis of equations described below, thus providing specified points on the input image data: x b = I x ·(x a -x₁)/(x₂-x₁), and y b = I y ·(y a -y₁)/(y₂-y₁). Further, a trimming range at the time of layout on the picture data is calculated as follows: x tl = x b -L x (x a -x₁), x t2 = x b +L y (x₂-x a ), y t1 = y b -L y (y a -y₁), and y t2 = y b -L y (y₂-y a ). The border lines of the trimming range defined by position coordinates x t1 and x t2 , and y t1 and y t2 will be called "trimming lines", hereinafter. These specified points and the trimming lines are indicated on the display 6 as shown at the upper side in Fig. 6. In this example, the specified point P b indicated has position coordinates represented by (x b/r , y b/r ) and the trimming range indicated is defined as an area encompassed by trimming lines determined by position coordinates x t1/r , y t2/r , y t1/r and y t2/r . Thus, trimming range indication is carried out in accordance with the position coordinates x t1/r , x t2/r , y t1/r and y t2/r as shown in Fig. 6. Observing the displayed picture image, an operator judges as to whether the specified point P b is correctly correspondent with the specified point P a on the layout sheet. When correction is needed, the operator moves the position of the specified point. In accordance with this correction of the specified point, the trimming range is corrected. The position of the specified point and the trimming range which have been thus corrected are indicated on the display 6 for a second time. The operator repeatedly carries out a required number of corrections. Fig. 7 shows a displayed picture image in the step S7 of the flow chart shown in Fig. 3. In this displayed picture image, a portion of the input picture data including the specified point P b and a portion of the input picture data in regard of a plurality of portions including points on the trimming lines are indicated at the same time. In this example, the trimming range is rectangular. The display screen is divided into five sections. On the central divided screen, a portion of the input picture data including the specified point P b is indicated. Further, on each cornered divided screen, a portion of the input picture data including vertexes of the rectangle which defines the trimming range is indicated. The method of dividing the screen into sections and the contents indicated on the respective sections are determined by the program. The display is carried out in a manner that pixels of the memory 8 and pixels of the display 6 correspond to each other with one-to-one correspondence. By indicating the positions of the pixels corresponding to the specified point and the trimming lines in the indicated image data, it is possible to precisely observe whether a lost portion is present or absent, or where the specified position is located. When a correction is needed at that time, the processings indicated by the steps S8 and S9 are carried out to shift the position of the specified point to indicate the specified point and the trimming line for a second time, thus enabling designation of a precise trimming range with a high efficiency. The above-mentioned processings are applied to all the input image used in the layout processing, thereafter providing trimming layout processing. Fig. 8 shows a flow chart showing the operation of a modification of the embodiment according to the invention. The flow chart shown in Fig. 8 comprises steps corresponding to the steps S1 to S9 in the flow chart shown in Fig. 3. The flow chart shown in Fig. 8 has steps common to those in Fig. 3 except that the processing indicated by the step S17 corresponding to the step S7 is different from the processing indicated by the step S17. Assuming that the processings up to the step S16 are completed, the entire picture image is indicated on the screen of the display 6. The entire picture image corresponds to the image indicated at the upper part in Fig. 6. When an attention is made to the memory 8, this image corresponds to that at the lower part in Fig. 9. An asterisk mark in Fig. 8 denotes a point designated by an operator in the step S17. This designation point serves as an index of the divided screen to be indicated in place of the four cornered divided screens of the image in the third embodiment. An operator's control can set the designation point at an arbitrary position. On the display 6, the picture image having the designation point at a center is read out and then is indicated without being subject to dropping processing. The image indicated at the upper part in Fig. 9 denotes an indication image. On the four divided screens, the picture image having the asterisk mark at a center is indicated. On the other hand, on the central screen, the picture image having the specified point P b located at its center is indicated. Among the displayed picture image data, the specified point and the trimming line are indicated in a manner similar to the third embodiment, to shift them if necessary. Such a shift is carried out in the steps S18 and S19. The modification of the embodiment stated above is somewhat troublesome in that an operation for designating designation points is required, but makes it possible to indicate an arbitrary portion, thus to perform a trimming layout suitable for the picture image. Fig. 10 shows a flow chart showing the operation of a further modification of the above-mentioned embodiment. This modified embodiment does not carry out the processing corresponding to the steps S1 to S6, viz., the processing to apply a dropping operation to the entire image data to indicate it, then to carry out confirmation or correction of the specified point and the trimming range. Instead of this, this modified embodiment carries out a processing comprising the steps of inputting picture data, thereafter dividing the screen to indicate the specified point P b and points on the trimming line as a portion of the image data on the divided screens, respectively. However, this processing is different from that of the step S7 in Fig. 3 in that dropping operation is applied during display. As shown in the step S21 in Fig. 10, the position of the specified point on the input picture data is determined by computation. The computing method is the same as that in the step S2 in the above-mentioned embodiment. The coordinate value of the specified point thus computed includes error produced when the setting of the scanning range shown in Fig. 5 is made. For this reason, even if a divisional indication is made without performing dropping operation, there are instances that the error cannot be corrected. Accordingly, dropping operation is carried out as indicated by the step S22 to clarify the relationship between the entire picture image and the specified point. Thereafter, by carrying out an operation such that the factor r in the dropping rate of r to 1 approaches r=l, it is possible to precisely designate the position of the specified point. The dropping rate used in this instance may be set in advance as a program or may be designated by an operator. As stated above, the method in this embodiment according to the invention comprises the steps of applying the pixel dropping processing to the picture data input from the manuscript to indicate the entire picture image on the display, designating the trimming range and the specified point in the input picture data, indicating the designated trimming range and the specified point on the display in a divided fashion without applying dropping operation thereto, and visually confirming the specified point and making a correction by making use of the indicated image. Thus, the method makes it possible to precisely designate the trimming range with high efficiency, thus preventing occurrence of errors in layout due to incorrect setting of the trimming range, or the damaged process of the film.

Claims: A processing method for graphic arts picture data comprising the steps of: a) applying pixel dropping processing to picture data input from a manuscript (2) in a manner that only preselected pixel data are left among pixels constituting said picture data to indicate the entire picture image on a display (6) using the modified picture data subject to said pixel dropping processing; b) determining coordinates representative of an area and a specified point (Pb) included in said area, in said modified picture data on said display (6); c) displaying peripheral portions of said determined area and a portion surrounding and including said specified point (Pb) on subdivided sections of said display (6) using the corresponding original input picture data; d) visually checking the position of said specified point (Pb) and said area by observing the display shown in step c) and applying any necessary coordinate correction to said determined area such that the desired picture content is within said corrected area.

Inventors: HOMMA YUJI, KUDO YOSHIAKI, MIYAJIMA SHINICHI, SUZUKI KENJI, TSUMITA NOBUO, HOMMA, YUJI, KUDO, YOSHIAKI, MIYAJIMA, SHINICHI, SUZUKI, KENJI, TSUMITA, NOBUO
Applicants: DAINIPPON PRINTING CO LTD, DAI NIPPON INSATSU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1985
Main classification: H04N1
IPC codes: H04N1