초록 ▼

The present invention is a method and apparatus for tuning the appearance and controlling dot growth of bitmap images rendered on a printing system. The invention operates to recognize those pixels with a bitmap image that are appropriate for alteration and, in response to downloadable output values

The present invention is a method and apparatus for tuning the appearance and controlling dot growth of bitmap images rendered on a printing system. The invention operates to recognize those pixels with a bitmap image that are appropriate for alteration and, in response to downloadable output values, adjusts the identified pixels so as to ensure a desired output.

대표청구항 ▼

A printing system for processing a bitmap image consisting of a plurality of input image signals at a first resolution representing a bitmap image, comprising: an encoder for encoding the input image signals at the first resolution so that the bitmap image is represented by a plurality of image sign

A printing system for processing a bitmap image consisting of a plurality of input image signals at a first resolution representing a bitmap image, comprising: an encoder for encoding the input image signals at the first resolution so that the bitmap image is represented by a plurality of image signals at a second resolution lower than the first resolution, each of the second resolution signals having multiple but fewer bits than each of the first resolution signals so that a number of bits in the plurality of input image signals is discarded as a result of the encoding; memory for storing the image signals at the second resolution; a dual-function circuit for reconstructing the stored encoded bit stream so as to decode the second resolution image signals while appearance tuning the second resolution image signals and thereby producing a pulse-width position-modulated output signal, wherein said dual-function circuit comprises: a template matching logic circuit for comparing the stored image signals of a plurality of pixel positions surrounding a target pixel position with a plurality of templates, said template matching circuit outputting signals indicating matches therebetween; and a programmable look-up table for generating the pulse-width position-modulated output signal in response to the signals output by the template matching circuit; and an output engine for outputting an image representation in response to the pulse-width position-modulated output signals generated by said dual function circuit, wherein the appearance tuning operation completed by the dual-function circuit includes controlling an exposure period of a pixel output in response to the pulse-width position-modulated output signals in conjunction with a repositioning of the pixel relative to at least one neighboring pixels.