1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
As digital cameras have spread rapidly in recent years, sales proceeds of the digital cameras have risen, wherein purchasers of the digital cameras, which has been given an image as a peripheral device of a personal computer, extend to households having none of the personal computers. For this reason, especially in recent years, there has increased a demand that data on the digital camera be directly printed by a consumer (or household) printer, etc. without through the personal computer.
The data of an image captured by the digital camera are stored on a memory card such as a SD (Super Density) card, a Compact Flash (registered trademark) memory, etc. If the household has the personal computer, the data of the captured image can be taken in the personal computer and can be also printed by a recording apparatus such as a printer and so on.
On the other hand, what is adopted as a direct printing method without through the personal computer is a method in which a medium such as the memory card, etc. stored with the digital image is directly inserted into the recording apparatus, and a photo is printed by operating an operation unit of the recording apparatus.
As for many consumer-oriented recording apparatuses, however, their operation units are small in size and a less number of keys are prepared. Further, those recording apparatuses require a dedicated viewer, etc. when selecting an image and are more difficult in their operations than those of the personal computer.
Particularly when printing the image on the memory card, there are required many settings, i.e. browsing the image, designating an image number, designating the number of sheets for printing the image, designating a print resolution, and so on. On the other hand, the recording apparatus cannot prepare many keys and tends to be complicated in operation.
Such being the case, as the method of printing the image data on the memory card, there is adopted such a method that in a complex apparatus including a reading unit and a recording unit of an index sheet for navigation of printing the photo (or image) is used in view of functions of the two units.
According to the aforementioned conventional methods, an index sheet on which at first, print target (candidate) images are collected for an index, a marking area is given to each image, then marking areas capable of indicating a print resolution, etc. are added, is recorded in the image processing apparatus.
A user marks want-to-record images and record setting on the index sheet described above. This method is similar to an extra photo printing procedure and is therefore an operation method intuitively understandable to the user. Thereafter, the index sheet filled by the user is read by the reading unit of the complex apparatus, and the complex-apparatus prints the photo on the basis of a result of the user's marking. On the occasion of printing the photo without through the personal computer, the complicated operation of printing the photo that is conducted on an operation panel can be easily executed by employing this method (refer to, e.g., Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). In these Patent Documents 1 and 2, the aforementioned index sheet is called a proof sheet.
(Patent Document 1) Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 2002-273973
(Patent Document 2) Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 2002-305701
By the way, according to the conventional methods described above, there is no problem if the user could effect marking properly on the index sheet. In case the user mistakenly puts the mark, however, the mark should be erased by an eraser. In this case, frequently, the index sheet is smudged, and/or an erased mark is left. If the smudge and the erased mark are left, there is a possibility that they cause mis-recognition when the index sheet is read.
As a result, there is required an operation of re-outputting the mistaken sheet. In the conventional examples, however, it is required to execute the same operation again, so that the user has to execute the output operation twice. Consequently, this imposes a burden on the user.
The conventional examples do not show, if there are a large number images and a plurality of index sheets, there is not prepared any method of printing the mistaken sheet even when it is desired to get only the mistaken sheet. Hence, there arises a problem that it is required to re-output the plurality of index sheets.
Namely, in the conventional examples given above, the problem is that the user must re-print all the sheets including the properly-written the sheet, which imposes a burden of consuming extra sheets of paper upon the user.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus capable of re-printing a desired sheet without any complicated operation and of enabling a user to easily obtain the sheet, in a case where it is desired to get one more index sheet because of miswriting, etc. on the index sheet.