JP2006054716A - Photographic printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photographic printer, enabling an operator to surely grasp relation between many inputted photographic images and a plurality of page sheets (constituting elements of an album booklet), to which these photographic images are allocated. <P>SOLUTION: The photograph printer for outputting each of page sheets constituting a photographic album booklet, by using photographic images selected from inputted photographic images through a prejudgment screen is provided with a page sheet setting part 33 for setting the number of photographic images to be formed on each page sheet; a prejudgment picture management part 35 for preparing page information indicating relation between photographic images to be displayed on the prejudgment picture and the page sheet; and a prejudgment picture preparating part 34a for preparing a prejudgment picture containing the photographic images and the page information and sending the prejudgment picture to a monitor 23. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a photo printing apparatus for outputting each page sheet constituting a photo album booklet using a photographed image selected through a pre-judge screen from an inputted photographed image.

  Conventionally, a photo album booklet composed of a large number of pages has been created by pasting a photo print in units of captured images output from a photo printing device by placing a photo print order from a DP store on a commercially available mount. Recently, however, digital mini-labs, etc. have emerged that use photographic images that have been digitized to output photographic prints by image formation based on digital image processing (digital exposure method or inkjet). As a result, a single print By forming a plurality of photographed images on a sheet, it has become possible to directly output the page sheets constituting the photo album booklet.

  As a system for creating such a page sheet (album sheet), for example, image display means for displaying a plurality of images (photographed images) and a sample for displaying a sample sheet (template) as a sample of the created album sheet. A sheet display means, an image selection means for selecting an image to be an album sheet from among a plurality of images displayed by the image display means, and an image selected by the image selection means for printing at any position on the sample sheet An album sheet comprising: a print position determining means for determining whether the image is selected by the image selecting means; and a storage means for storing information relating to the print position determined by the print position determining means in association with each other A system has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-187474 A (paragraph number 0008, FIG. 6)

In the album sheet creation system according to Patent Document 1 described above, a page sheet is created based on print data obtained by arranging a photographed image on a selected template. Such a method is installed in a DP store. When executed using a photo printing apparatus such as the one described above, the number of frames of an image to be produced as an album booklet is at least several tens of frames included in one film or one card memory. Arranging the photographed image on the template is a heavy burden. For this reason, for example, a technique of arranging images sequentially in order of shooting frame numbers is indispensable, but in that case, it is surely avoided that an image that has failed to be shot is included in the page sheet or output. It is important that the operator recognizes the number of page sheets in advance.
In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a photographic printing apparatus that allows an operator to reliably grasp the relationship between a large number of input captured images and a plurality of page sheets (components of an album booklet) to which these captured images are assigned. Is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the photo printing apparatus according to the present invention for outputting each page sheet constituting the photo album booklet using the photographed image selected through the pre-judge screen from the inputted photographed image, A page sheet setting unit for setting the number of photographed images formed on the page sheet, a pre-judge screen management unit for creating page information indicating a relationship between the photographed image displayed on the pre-judge screen and the page sheet, A pre-judge screen creating unit that creates a pre-judge screen including the photographed image and the page information and sends the pre-judge screen to a monitor.

  The pre-judgment screen specifies the photographed image to be printed and the necessary color correction while sequentially displaying the input photographed image that is well known in the photo printing device called minilab installed in DP stores and so on. This is the monitor screen used during pre-judge work.

  In the configuration of the present invention described above, the number of photographed images formed on each page sheet constituting the photo album booklet is set in advance, and the photographed image and page sheet displayed when the input photographed image is displayed on the pre-judge screen. The page information indicating the correspondence relationship is created and the page information is displayed in some form on the pre-judge screen, so the operator who is looking at the pre-judge screen has the captured image and the captured image displayed. The relationship with the formed page sheet can be grasped, and the image of the page sheet output by this photo printing apparatus can be assumed as the image of the photo album booklet finally produced.

  For example, if page break mark information for displaying the page break mark of the page sheet on the pre-judge screen is adopted as the page information, an input photographed image is assigned to each page sheet constituting the photo album booklet. In addition, it is possible to display a page break mark between the photographed image that is the page break on the pre-judge screen, and the operator can easily grasp the correspondence between the photographed image and the page sheet. Therefore, it is easy to match the number of page sheets to the number that will fit in the final photo album booklet, and it is easy to match the number of shot images and page sheets appropriately just by looking at the pre-judge screen. Can be confirmed.

  Further, if the sheet number information of the page sheet assigned to the photographed image displayed on the pre-judge screen is adopted as the page information, the photographed image is formed on the input photographed image sequentially displayed on the pre-judge screen. It becomes possible to attach a sheet number (so-called page number) of a different page sheet, and it becomes easy for an operator to grasp the correspondence between the photographed image and the page sheet and the number of page sheets to be finally output.

  In addition, when film or card media is used as a photographic image source, some of the photographic images taken out and input to this photographic printing device may contain images that failed to be captured. In order to avoid such a failure image being assigned to the page sheet, it must be excluded from the album booklet creation process by the operator's judgment through the pre-judge screen. Moreover, it is necessary to rewrite the page information every time an excluded photographed image is generated. For this reason, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the captured image displayed on the pre-judge screen is excluded from the creation of the album booklet, the pre-judge screen management unit re-creates the page information. .

Further, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the page sheet setting unit reads each page based on the number of photographed image arrangement frames defined in the page sheet template selected by reading from the template storage unit. Sets the number of captured images formed on the sheet. By adopting such a configuration, the layout of each page sheet constituting the album booklet, in particular, the number of photographed image arrangement frames for fitting the photographed images included therein is preset. Even if a page sheet template having a different number of photographed image arrangement frames for pages and even pages is selected, a page sheet template having a different number of photographed image arrangement frames for each page may be selected. The pre-judge screen management unit can immediately create page information indicating the relationship between the photographed image displayed on the pre-judge screen and the page sheet based on the information regarding the number of the photographed image layout frames.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments using the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of a photographic printing apparatus for outputting page sheets constituting an album booklet according to the present invention. This photographic printing apparatus is a printing station 1B as a photographic printer that performs exposure processing and development processing on photographic paper P, and photographic images taken from image recording media such as a developed photographic film 2a and a memory card 2b for a digital camera. It comprises an operation station 1A for processing images and generating / transferring print data used in the print station 1B.

  Among the photographic prints P output from the photographic printing apparatus, a page sheet is a sheet sheet in which one or more input photographed images are incorporated while leaving a binding margin for binding as an album booklet as shown in FIG. The technical configuration relating to the creation of this page sheet will be mainly described hereinafter. As can be seen from FIG. 2, when a plurality of page sheets are combined and an appropriate front cover, back cover, and back cover are attached, an album booklet that is excellent in aesthetics and has good storability is completed.

  This photo printing apparatus is also called a digital minilab. As can be understood from FIG. 3, the printing station 1B pulls out the roll-shaped printing paper P stored in the two printing paper magazines 11 and prints it with the sheet cutter 12. The back print unit 13 prints print processing information such as color correction information and page sheet number on the back surface of the photographic paper P, and the print exposure unit 14 A photographed image is exposed on the surface of the photographic paper P, and the exposed photographic paper P is sent to a processing tank unit 15 having a plurality of development processing tanks for development processing. After drying, the photographic paper P, that is, page sheets, sent to the sorter 17 from the transverse feed conveyor 16 at the upper part of the apparatus is collected in a plurality of trays of the sorter 17 in a state of being sorted in order units (see FIG. 1). .

  A photographic paper transport mechanism 18 is laid to transport the photographic paper P at a transport speed in accordance with various processes for the photographic paper P described above. The photographic paper transport mechanism 18 is composed of a plurality of nipping and transporting roller pairs including a chucker type photographic paper transport unit 18a disposed before and after the print exposure unit 14 in the photographic paper transport direction.

  The print exposure unit 14 applies R (red), G (green), and B (blue) to the printing paper P conveyed in the sub-scanning direction based on print data from the operation station 1A along the main scanning direction. A line exposure head for irradiating laser beams of the three primary colors (1) is provided. The processing tank unit 15 includes a color developing tank 15a for storing a color developing processing liquid, a bleach-fixing tank 15b for storing a bleach-fixing processing liquid, and a stabilizing tank 15c for storing a stable processing liquid.

  A film scanner 20 capable of acquiring photographed image data (hereinafter simply referred to as image data) from a photographed image frame of the photographic film 2a is disposed at the upper position of the desk-like console of the operation station 1A. A media reader 21 that acquires image data from various memory cards, CD-Rs, and the like used as a photographed image recording medium 2b attached to a camera or the like is incorporated in a general-purpose personal computer that functions as the controller 3 of the photo printing apparatus. ing. The general-purpose personal computer is also connected with a monitor 23 for displaying various information, and a keyboard 24 and a mouse 25 as operation input devices used as an operation input unit used for various settings and adjustments.

  The controller 3 of this photographic printing apparatus uses a CPU as a core member and constructs a functional unit for performing various operations of the photographic printing apparatus by hardware and / or software, as shown in FIG. As described above, as a functional unit particularly related to the present invention, image data input that performs preprocessing necessary for the next processing on the image data read by the film scanner 20 or the media reader 21 and develops it in the memory 30 is performed. Unit 31, an operation input processing unit 32 that processes user operation input from keyboard 24 and mouse 25 and converts them into appropriate internal processing commands, and a page sheet template designated in advance to create the page sheet. Read from the template storage unit 33a and set the number of captured image layout frames defined in the page sheet template. Accordingly, a page sheet setting unit 33 for storing the number of photographed images formed on the page sheet in units of page sheets, creation of graphic operation screens such as various windows and a pre-judge screen described in detail later, and the like. GUI unit 34 for constructing a graphic user interface (hereinafter abbreviated as GUI) for managing internal processing commands converted from user operation input through the graphic operation screen, and the number of simultaneous display frames necessary for creating the pre-judge screen And a pre-judge screen management unit 35 for creating page information indicating the relationship between the photographed image displayed on the pre-judge screen and the page sheet, and an image based on an internal processing command sent from the GUI unit 34 The image processing unit 36 that performs image processing on the data and various image information including the pre-judge screen are finally modeled. Print data suitable for the video exposure unit 14 provided in the print station 1B is generated on the basis of the video control unit 37 that generates a video signal to be displayed on the printer 23 and the processed image data that has undergone image processing. Examples include a print data generation unit 38 and a formatter unit 39 that formats raw image data or image data in units of page sheets for which image processing has been completed into a format for writing to a CD-R in response to customer requests.

  When the photographic image recording medium is the film 2a, the image data input unit 31 separately sends the scan data for the pre-scan mode and the main scan mode to the memory 30, and performs preprocessing according to each purpose. Further, when the captured image recording medium is the memory card 2b, when the captured image data includes thumbnail image data (low resolution data), the actual data of the captured image is used for the purpose of displaying a list on the monitor 23. It is sent to the memory 30 of the address linked to (high resolution data), but if thumbnail image data is not included, a reduced image is created from this data and similarly linked to the address of this data as thumbnail image data. It is sent to the memory 30 of the address.

  The GUI unit 34 includes a pre-judge screen generation unit 34 a that generates a pre-judge screen 40 as illustrated in FIG. 5, and a process command management unit that manages internal processing commands acquired through various operation screens including the pre-judge screen 40. 34b. On a general pre-judge screen 40, image frames for one film or one memory card are sequentially displayed in a captured image display frame 41 for image check. The captured image display frame 41 is arranged by the number of display frames previously set by the display frame setting unit 35a installed in the pre-judge screen management unit 35, but in FIG. Above each captured image display frame 41, a frame identification code display field 45 for displaying the frame number or captured image file name of the captured image displayed in the captured image display frame 41 is arranged. A color density correction setting area 42 and a print number setting area 43 are arranged below the frame 41. The color density correction setting area 42 is provided with setting frames of “yellow”, “magenta”, “cyan”, and “density”, and the correction amount “N” represents neutral and means no correction. The print number setting area 43 is provided with an input frame for inputting the number of prints. If “pass” is displayed in the input frame, it means that the photographed image is not to be printed. A print condition display field 44 is arranged below the pre-judge screen 40. The print channel name applied to the photo print output, the print size included in the print channel, the necessity of index print, The necessity of media output is shown. The print size indicates the size of the finished photo print P, and the print size is determined by the photographic paper width and the feed length.

  In the pre-judge screen 40 illustrated in FIG. 5, the border area of the two photographed image display frames 41 in which the frame numbers “004” and “005” are displayed in the frame identification code display field 45 is displayed at both ends of the upper side. A T-shaped page break mark 46 with a directional arrow is displayed. The page break mark 46 is a page break determined by the page break processing unit 35b of the pre-judge screen management unit 35 based on the number of formed photographed images assigned to the page sheet stored in the page sheet setting unit 33. The image is displayed in the boundary area of the generated captured image display frame 41, and the captured image is formed on different page sheets with the page break mark 46 as a boundary. A number indicating the page number of the page sheet is appended to the outward arrow of the page break mark 46. For example, the photographed image displayed in the photographed image display frame 41 belonging to the page number “1” side is the first sheet. The photographed image displayed on the photographed image display frame 41 belonging to the page number “2” side is image-formed on the second page sheet.

  When settings such as color density correction for each photographed image are completed on the pre-judge screen 40 and the “START” button is clicked, high-resolution image data corresponding to the photographed image displayed is the print data generation unit 36. When there are still captured images to be displayed next, the pre-judge screen 40 for them is displayed.

  In addition to the well-known image processing filter, the image processing unit 36 specifies the low-resolution image data of the photographic image displayed on the pre-judge screen 40 and the photographic image that has been determined to be printed on the pre-judge screen 40. An image data designating unit 36a for designating high-resolution image data corresponding to the above, and a simulated image generating unit 36b for generating a simulated image that is an expected finished print image as a photographic image displayed in the photographic image display frame 41 described above. An image composition unit 36c that assigns and synthesizes image data of a photographed image corresponding to the photographed image layout frame of the page sheet template described above, and a page sheet image for displaying an image of each page sheet to which a suitable photographed image is assigned. A page image creation unit 36d for creating data is mounted.

A processing procedure for outputting the page sheets constituting the album booklet using the above-described photo printing apparatus will be described with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG.
First, a photographed image, specifically digital image data of a photographed image, is captured from the film scanner 20 or the media reader 21 via the image data input unit 31 and developed in the memory 30. When a page sheet template is selected through the keyboard 24 by the function of the page sheet setting unit 33, the number of photographed image layout frames defined in the selected page sheet template, that is, the number of photographed images to be incorporated per page sheet. The number is passed to the pre-judge screen manager 35 where it is stored and managed.

  The number of captured image display frames 41 arranged on the pre-judge screen 40 set in advance through the display frame number setting unit 35a of the pre-judge screen management unit 35 is given to the GUI unit 34. Is generated by the pre-judge screen generation unit 34 a and the pre-judge screen 40 is displayed on the monitor 23. At that time, the photographed image displayed in the photographed image display frame 41 is faithful to the final print image that is sequentially designated by the image data designation unit 36a and is simulated by the simulated image generation unit 36b. An image is used.

  Further, the page break processing unit 35b of the pre-judge screen management unit 35 calculates the page sheet from the number of photographed images sequentially inserted into the photographed image display frame 41 and the number of photographed images incorporated in each stored page sheet. And the page number of the corresponding page sheet (page number) is sent to the pre-judge screen generation unit 34a of the GUI unit 34 as page separation information (a type of page information). Thereby, the page separator mark 46 is displayed on the pre-judge screen together with the sheet numbers before and after the page separator between the captured image display frames 41 where the page separator occurs.

  A photographed image is checked by the operator through the pre-judge screen 40. If a defective image that fails to be photographed is found at that time, “pass” is selected in the print number setting area 43, and the photographed image is printed. Removed from the subject. For example, in FIG. 5, if a photographed image having a frame number of “001” is “passed”, the photographed image is not incorporated into the page sheet, and the position of the page break is changed. For this reason, when a “pass” occurs in the pre-judge screen 40, the page break processing unit 35b updates the page break information, thereby changing the position of the page break mark 46 as illustrated in FIG.

  When the operator checks the captured image and clicks the “START” button, high-resolution image data corresponding to the displayed captured image is specified, and the page is set according to the set page sheet template. The photographed image for one sheet is synthesized. If the page sheet template includes an additional image such as a logo or character, the additional image is also synthesized and finally sent to the print data generation unit 38. It is done. Note that if the number of captured images assigned to one page sheet is not specified and the pre-judgment work continues, the print data generation unit 38 is designated upon completion of the next pre-judge work. Waiting for the photographed image, the image composition of one page sheet is completed.

  In the above description of the embodiment, the T-shaped page break mark 46 is displayed on the pre-judge screen 40. However, the form of the page break mark 46 is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible. . Further, instead of displaying the page break mark 46, as illustrated in FIG. 8, a page sheet displaying an identification code of a page sheet on which the corresponding captured image is formed, for example, on the periphery of each captured image display frame 41. A configuration in which the identification code display frame 47 is arranged and the sheet number or the like is displayed there may be employed.

  In the embodiment described above, the print station 1B exposes the photographed image to the photographic paper P by the print exposure unit 14 equipped with the laser-type exposure engine, and performs a plurality of development processes on the photographic paper P after the exposure. However, the print station 1B according to the present invention is not limited to such a method, and for example, an image is formed by ejecting ink onto a film or paper. Various photographic printing methods such as an inkjet printing method and a thermal transfer method using a thermal transfer sheet can be employed.

1 is an external view showing an example of a photographic printing apparatus according to the present invention. The schematic diagram which shows an example of the page sheet | seat output by this invention Explanatory drawing of the printing station which comprises the photographic printing apparatus by FIG. Functional block diagram showing the functions of the controller of the photo printing apparatus according to FIG. Screen diagram showing an example of the pre-judge screen Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the processing procedure at the time of outputting a page sheet The screen figure which shows the pre-judge screen which displays the page break mark changed from the pre-judge screen of FIG. Screen figure which shows an example of the pre-judge screen of another embodiment

Explanation of symbols

1A: Operation station 1B: Print station 4: Controller unit 23: Monitor 30: Memory 33: Page sheet setting unit 33a: Template storage unit 34: GUI unit 34a: Pre-judge screen generation unit 34b: Processing command management unit 35: Pre-judge Screen management unit 35a: display frame number setting unit 35b: page break processing unit 36: image processing unit 38: print data generation unit P: photographic paper (photo print: page sheet)

Claims (5)

In a photo printing apparatus for outputting each page sheet constituting a photo album booklet using a photographed image selected through a pre-judge screen from an inputted photographed image,
A page sheet setting unit for setting the number of photographed images formed on each page sheet, and a pre-judge screen management unit for creating page information indicating the relationship between the photographed image displayed on the pre-judge screen and the page sheet And a pre-judge screen creation unit that creates a pre-judge screen including the photographed image and the page information and sends it to a monitor.   2. The photo printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the page information includes page break mark information for displaying a page break mark of the page sheet on a pre-judge screen.   3. The photo printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the page information includes sheet number information of a page sheet assigned to a photographed image displayed on a pre-judge screen.   4. The pre-judge screen management unit re-creates the page information when a photographed image displayed on the pre-judge screen is excluded from creation of the album booklet. The photographic printing apparatus described in 1.   The page sheet setting unit sets the number of photographed images formed on each page sheet based on the number of photographed image layout frames defined in the page sheet template selected by reading from the template storage unit. The photographic printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

Images