Image data control apparatus and method for image-recording device
View Patent ↗Ablation data of a region other than an image region, which ablation data is required for a positive-type printing plate, is added at a printing plate automatic exposure device side. Thus, a disadvantage of a time duration for transmission of job data from a PC being slowed because of the ablation data is solved. As a result, image recording operations can be made more efficient. Furthermore, the ablation data includes non-exposure portions at regions corresponding to peripheral edge portions of the printing plate. Consequently, light does not impinge on a leading end chuck, a trailing end chuck and the like, and the ablation data can be made suitable for interlaced scanning.
1. An image data control apparatus to be employed at a laser image-recording device which forms an image on a printing plate on the basis of image data from an external device, the image data control apparatus for the image-recording device comprising:
a judgment section which judges whether the printing plate is a negative type or a positive type of printing plate;
an image region identification section which, in a case in which the judgment section judges that the printing plate is a positive type, identifies an image region on the printing plate on the basis of the image data from the external device; and
an ablation data addition section, which adds ablation data to the image data for ablation of a region on the printing plate other than the image region identified at the image region identification section.
2. The image data control apparatus for a laser image-recording device of claim 1 , wherein the ablation data is provided with a non-exposure portion at a portion corresponding to a peripheral edge region of the printing plate.
3. An image data control apparatus to be employed at a laser image-recording device which forms an image on a printing plate on the basis of image data from an external device, the image data control apparatus for the laser image-recording device comprising:
a predetermined-color data addition section, which adds predetermined-color data to the image data for coloring a region on the printing plate other than an image recording region with a predetermined color,
wherein the predetermined-color data is provided with a non-exposure portion at a portion corresponding to a peripheral edge region of the printing plate.
4. The image data control apparatus for a laser image-recording device of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined-color data comprises ablation data.
5. An image data control method to be employed at a laser image-recording device for exposing a printing plate to radiation, the method comprising:
determining whether or not job data has been inputted;
compressing the image data in a predetermined compression format and storing the compressed image data at a buffer memory;
decompressing the compressed image data and converting the decompressed image data to line image data;
extracting description information in the job data and achieving settings for both hardware and software on the basis of this extracted information;
determining from the extracted description information whether or not the printing plate is of a positive type and if this judgment is positive, then determining that ablation data will be required and generating ablation data on the basis of the image data;
forming non-exposure regions at peripheral edge portions of the printing plate in the generated ablation data and adding the ablation data featuring the unexposed portions to the line image data;
arranging the line image data into swath units according to the format of main scanning of the image-recording device and storing the line image data at the respective line buffers; and
executing image processing on the basis of one-swath units of image data, when line image data in an amount corresponding to three swaths is sorted out.
6. The image data control method for a laser image-recording device of claim 5 , wherein the description information comprises plate information, punching information, and scanning range information.
7. The image data control method for a laser image-recording device of claim 6 , wherein the plate information comprises a plate size, plate type, and thickness.
8. The image data control method for a laser image-recording device of claim 6 , wherein the punching information comprises a punching type and punching position offset.
9. The image data control method for a laser image-recording device of claim 6 , wherein the scanning range information comprises an exposure position main scanning offset, exposure position sub-scanning offset, main scanning exposable size, and sub-scanning exposable size.
10. The image data control method for a laser image-recording device of claim 5 , wherein the step for generating the ablation data generates the ablation data so as to make the region outside the image region on the printing plate solid.