Patent ID: 7929183

Claim:
An image output control system comprising an image processing device that makes image data subjected to a preset series of image processing and an image output device that creates dots according to a result of the preset series of image processing to output an image, said image processing device comprising: a pixel group setting module that collects a predetermined number of plural pixels, among a large number of pixels constituting the image, to each pixel group; a dot number specification module that causes image data of respective pixels in each pixel group to be represented uniformly by preset representative image data and specifies number of dots to be created in each pixel group according to the representative image data; and a number data output module that outputs dot number data representing the specified number of dots with regard to each pixel group to said image output device, said image output device comprising: a number data receiving module that receives the output dot number data with regard to each pixel group; a priority order specification module that specifies a priority order of pixels for dot formation in each pixel group; a pixel position determination module that determines position of each dot-on pixel included in each pixel group, based on the received dot number data and the specified priority order; and a dot formation module that actually creates a dot at the determined position of each dot-on pixel; wherein said dot number specification module comprises: a mapping storage module that stores multiple threshold value sequences, each consisting of plural threshold values corresponding to the predetermined number of plural pixels included in each pixel group, as multiple mappings for conversion of the representative image data of each pixel group into the number of dots to be created in the pixel group; and a mapping selection module that selects one threshold value sequence among the stored multiple threshold value sequences as one mapping for each pixel group among the stored multiple mappings; said dot number specification module specifying a number of smaller threshold values in the selected threshold value sequence that are smaller than the image data of each pixel group, as the number of dots to be created in each pixel group, based on the representative image data of the pixel group and the selected mapping; said mapping storage module storing the plural threshold values of each threshold value sequence together with information on an order of magnitude of the respective threshold values in the threshold value sequence; and said dot number specification module referring to the order of magnitude and comparing the image data of each pixel group with the plural threshold values of the selected threshold value sequence, so as to specify the number of dots to be created in the pixel group.