Color matching server, color matching client, print control server, print control client, print control system, print control process, medium on which print control program is stored profile providing server and profile demanding client

A print control client which is connected for two-way communications to a print control server to perform conversion of color data based on color matching information that permits reproduction of prescribed standard colors at the time of conversion into color data corresponding to a plurality of printing colorants upon input of print data, said client comprising:

• a colorimetry image print control means to control the printing of images for colorimetry with a plurality of tone for each of said printing colorants,
• a data sending means to receive the input of the measured data of the color measuring image and sends it to said print control server,
• a matching color information acquisition means to acquire said color matching information from said print control server, and
• a means to convert said print data into said color data based on said color matching information.

A print control system which is composed of a print control client to perform conversion based on prescribed color matching information that permits reproduction of prescribed standard colors at the time of printing using color data at the time of conversion into color data corresponding to a plurality of printing colorants upon input of print data and a print control server which is connected for two-way communications to the print control client and which creates said color matching information and sends it to said print control client,

• said print control client comprising:
• a colorimetry image print control means to perform control to print colorimetry images with a plurality of tones for each of said printing colorants,
• a lightness data sending means to receive the input of the lightness data of said colorimetry image and send it to said print control server, and
• a color matching information acquisition means to acquire said color matching information from said print control server,
• said print control server comprising:
• a standard color lightness data storing region in which is stored the lightness data of said standard color,
• a lightness data acquisition means to acquire the lightness data of the colorimetry image for each of said printing colorants which is printed by said print control client,
• a color matching information creating means to create said color matching information based on the lightness data of the colorimetry image for each of said printing colorants and the lightness data of said standard colors corresponding to the printing colorants, and
• a color matching information output means to output to said print control client the color matching information created by the color matching information creating means,
• said print control client:
• prints said colorimetry image for each of the printing colorants by said colorimetry image print control means, receives the input of the lightness data of said colorimetry image by said lightness data sending means, and sends it to said print control means, and
• said print control server:
• receives the lightness data from said print control client by said lightness data acquisition means, creates the color matching information by said color matching information creating means based on the lightness data and said lightness data stored in said standard color lightness data storing region, and sends the thus created color matching information to said print control means by said color matching information output means,
• said print control client:
• acquires said color matching information from said print control server by said color matching information acquisition means, and converts said print data into said color data based on the color matching information.

A profile providing server which comprises:

• a communicating means capable of transmission and reception of data through a communication line,
• a read color data acquisition means to acquire through said communication line the read color data obtained by reading with a prescribed image input device the color charts printed by a specific printing device based on prescribed print color data,
• a color character description data acquisition means to acquire through a prescribed interface the color character description data to match the print color data of the image input device with the prescribed standard color space coordinate values,
• a profile data creating means to create the profile data defining correspondence between the printed color data and the prescribed standard color space coordinate values by matching the read color data with the standard color space coordinate value with reference to the color character description data, and
• a profile data output means to output through the communication line the thus created profile data.

A profile demanding client to connect and control a printing device and an image input device and to demand a profile of the printing device for an external server, which comprises:

• a color chart print demand receiving means to receive a demand to print a prescribed color chart by said printing device,
• a printing control means to control print execution by said printing device based on a prescribed printing color data in compliance with the printing demand from said color chart print demand receiving means,
• a color chart reading demand receiving means to receive a demand to read by said image input device the color chart printed according to control from said print control means,
• an image input device control means to control said image input device in compliance with the read demand from said color chart read demand receiving means and acquires the read color data of said color chart,
• a color character description data acquisition means to control said image input device and acquire the color character description data previously stored in said image input device, said data matching the read color data with the prescribed standard color space coordinate value and being measured for the individual input image devices,
• a communication means capable of transmission and reception of data through a communication line,
• a data output means to output said printing color data, said read color data, and said color character description data through said communication means, and
• a profile data acquisition means to acquire the profile data of the printing device through said communication means.