Patent ID: 7724400

Claim:
A method for operating a multifunction machine having a printer and scanner, comprising: placing a media item in the scanner; activating a first user input of the multifunction machine; scanning the media item to produce a scanned image in response to activation of the first user input; determining whether to print the scanned image as a color document, a color photograph, a monochrome document or a monochrome photograph; and printing the scanned image as a color document, a color photograph, a monochrome document or a monochrome photograph in response to the determining step, wherein the determining step comprises evaluating the chrominance of a plurality of scanned image pixels against a predetermined threshold value, and wherein the evaluating step comprises: converting the scanned image from RGB colorspace into YCbCr colorspace; calculating a mean sum of squared Cb and Cr chrominance values for image pixels having a luminance value below said predetermined threshold value indicative of whitespace; determining to print the scanned image in color if the calculated mean sum value of the squared Cb and Cr chrominance values is greater than said predetermined threshold value; and determining to print the scanned image in monochrome if the calculated mean sum value of the squared Cb and Cr chrominance values is less than said predetermined threshold value.