Silver halide photograph technology Controlling the subtle changes in silver halide grains. A photograph that is made by taking a picture on film and then printing it on photographic paper is called a silver halide photograph. This is because silver (more accurately, silver halide) is used in the film and the printing paper. This material records images through the chemical change that takes place when light strikes it. The film records the pattern of highlights and shadows at the instant the picture was taken. The process through which this is transformed into a beautiful image on the photo paper is very complicated, and precise chemical processing is necessary. NORITSU has fused its chemical technology involving silver halide photos with a variety of cutting edge technologies, and is applying this technology to produce high quality, flexible digital photographic prints.

Mechatronics and Control Technology Transport and Control Technology that Produces High Quality Prints The QSS minilab, in which NORITSU takes great pride, performs high quality development of several rolls of film at one time within its compact body, and incorporates a number of mechanisms as well as control software for printing. For example, a system that transports sensitive film and photo paper rapidly and gently, a control system that performs positioning to micron accuracy, and mechanisms that perform fine temperature control and pH control. The QSS is the culmination of sophisticated, precision mechatronics technology.

Optical technology Optimum control of light Optical technology is inseparable from silver photographic technology which records and expresses images using the properties of light. NORITSU has accumulated technology including a wide variety of optical equipment that performs optimum scanning of image information on film, and includes also light sources and lenses for printing as well as filters to adjust the color composition of the light sources. We have developed our own exclusive know-how that provides optimum control of the characteristics and intensity of light.

Scanner technology Reading a wide variety of image information instantaneously The scanner reads image information contained on film and records that information as digital data. The film is illuminated with light of the optimum color composition, and the detailed image information needed for a 400 dpi print is speedily extracted. NORITSU has followed its own design concept to develop scanners that quickly read the optimum image data from films made by different manufacturers. This technology is accelerating the coming of the age of the digital minilab where digital images can be freely processed and output.

Artificial Intelligence and Computer Technology Application of neuro and fuzzy concepts to digital image processing Image data scanned from film is automatically corrected to provide correctly exposed image data using our own exclusive digital image processing program. Then algorithms derived from artificial intelligence theories such as neural networks and fuzzy systems are applied to automatically analyze analog information such as the image content and exposure balance. For this processing we have developed our own exclusive computer technology to develop high performance computers using RISC CPUs that perform dispersed processing.

Color Management Technology Achieving consistent color management from input to output In fully digital minilabs, data scanned from film and image data acquired from digital media are displayed on a monitor, checked by the operator, and then printed out on photo paper. In such a working environment in which the data passes through a number of input and output devices, the latest color management technology is used to minimize the differences among the color of the original image recorded on film, the color that is displayed on the monitor screen, and the color that is printed on paper.

Digital Image Processing Technology Automatic correction can be performed to produce a beautiful image. Even a photograph taken by an amateur can be finished to produce a beautiful photograph that looks like one taken by a professional. This is one of the goals of the QSS. We not only apply overall correction to an image, but also apply more sophisticated image processing including correction for partial underexposure, correction of the brightness and contrast of the subject's face, correction of the texture and adjustment of the color balance.

Digital Printing Technology Printing 400dpi images on photo paper at high speed NORITSU has developed its own unique concept of printing digital prints on silver halide paper, and has developed a variety of digital exposure equipment (printing engines). Optical fiber is used in an engine that illuminates the film with light of each of the three primary colors 24,000 times per minute. Another engine controls the switching on and off of 1,300,000 mirrors on a single chip to provide the illumination needed to produce 2,600 3R size prints per hour. The optimum type of equipment is used for the purpose at hand. By handling images as digital data, the number of prints that can be produced is greatly increased. Successive generations of minilabs providing ever increasing speed and productivity are being introduced.