Abstract: Printing an image on a printing medium includes using a print head that ejects a first ink and a second ink having higher lightness than the first ink with preliminary ejection that is performed in a predetermined area in which the image is to be formed in order to maintain an ink ejection state of the print head and that does not contribute to printing of the image, wherein dots of the first ink and dots of the second ink formed in the predetermined area by the preliminary ejection are printed so as to be superposed on each other.

Abstract: In the case of printing a test pattern with an inkjet print apparatus, two printing modes are prepared. In one printing mode, a preliminary ejection on the printing medium is performed during printing of a test pattern, and in the other printing mode, the preliminary ejection on the printing medium is not performed during printing of a test pattern. For a test pattern that is, if the test pattern is printed under the same condition as that for an actual image, convenient for a subsequent correction, the preliminary ejection on the printing medium is performed during printing of the test pattern. On the other hand, for a test pattern in which, if an irrelevant dot is printed within the pattern, inconvenience is taken into consideration in a subsequent correction, the preliminary ejection on the printing medium is not performed during printing of the test pattern.

Abstract: The invention provides a printing apparatus and a recovery method therefore which can minimize ink consumption in a recovery process for a print head of the apparatus. The invention has a control unit to cause a print head to eject ink from nozzles arrayed on the print head so as to recover ink ejecting function of the nozzles, and a specification unit to specify a set print mode selected from among a plurality of print modes. The print modes define number and position of nozzles in use for printing an image. The control unit executes a first preliminary ejection process before or after printing an image on a print medium. The first preliminary ejection process has selectively ejecting ink from both of the nozzles in use selected by the currently set print mode and the unused nozzles in the vicinity of the nozzles in use.

Abstract: Printing an image on a printing medium includes using a print head that ejects a first ink and a second ink having higher lightness than the first ink with preliminary ejection that is performed in a predetermined area in which the image is to be formed in order to maintain an ink ejection state of the print head and that does not contribute to printing of the image, wherein dots of the first ink and dots of the second ink formed in the predetermined area by the preliminary ejection are printed so as to be superposed on each other.

Abstract: A printing method and apparatus can achieve both of highly reliable detection of a mark and suppression of a sheet consumption amount when a continuous sheet is cut on an image basis after a plurality of images has been printed on the continuous sheet. For this purpose, at the time of arranging a non-image area including a cut mark between two images to be successively printed, the length of the non-image area in a conveyance direction is set on the basis of the length of a precedently conveyed image in the conveyance direction and image data in a rear end part of the image.

Abstract: To provide an ink jet printing apparatus which can reduce waste ink as much as possible and shorten the amount of time spend on the following wiping process, and a recovery operation method therefor, whereby a first process and a second process are carried out, the first process for discharging ink that does not contribute to the printing from the print head while supplying ink from the ink reservoir portion to the print head by way of the first ink passage connected to one end of the print head, and the second process for discharging ink that does not contribute to the printing from the print head while supplying ink from the ink reservoir portion to the print head by way of the second ink passage connected to the other end of the print head.

Abstract: A first humidified gas is supplied through a first supply port to a sheet. A second humidified gas is supplied to a space where nozzles of an inkjet recording head are exposed through a second supply port located at a position closer to the recording heads than the first supply port, to increase atmosphere humidity in the space. The sheet portion having a moisture content increased by the humidification in advance is advanced into the space having the increased atmosphere humidity, to record on the sheet using the inkjet recording head. An amount of humidification with the first humidified gas is set according to at least one recording condition.

Abstract: To provide an inkjet printing apparatus that suppresses occurrence of image deterioration, such as a texture, a moire, and a streak in a printing result. In order for this to be achieved, a level is set up to a overlapping portion of a chip of a print head depending on dot impact accuracy, and a print data distribution rate of each chip in the overlapping portion is determined according to the level.

Abstract: A first humidified gas is supplied through a first supply port to a sheet. A second humidified gas is supplied to a space where nozzles of an inkjet recording head are exposed through a second supply port located at a position closer to the recording heads than the first supply port, to increase atmosphere humidity in the space. The sheet portion having a moisture content increased by the humidification in advance is advanced into the space having the increased atmosphere humidity, to record on the sheet using the inkjet recording head. An amount of humidification with the first humidified gas is set according to at least one recording condition.

Abstract: A process of detecting a defective recording element and a process of correcting the defective recording element are performed with appropriate processing loads. When the detection process and the correction processes are performed with small loads, for example, at a time of recording, a resolution used for reading an inspection pattern is set lower than that set in a case where the processes can be performed with small loads, for example, at down time before recording. The reading resolution to be set may be determined by an apparatus in accordance with a processing load or may be arbitrarily determined by a user.

Abstract: In a line-head type inkjet printing apparatus that ejects a plurality of types of inks, an inkjet printing apparatus is provided in which the change of its ejection properties different depending on the type of ink is prevented from occurring. The line-head type printing apparatus includes an acquisition unit that counts the ejection number of liquid from each of print heads in each of a plurality of print heads. Furthermore, the printing apparatus compares the ejection number of liquid from each of the print heads counted by the acquisition unit with a threshold value set for each of the print heads. The printing apparatus includes a change unit that can move a holder in the main scanning direction when the counted ejection number of liquid exceeds the threshold value set for the print head.

Abstract: A printing method is performed on a plurality of inkjet print heads to which humidified air is supplied to retain the humidity in the print heads. Ink colors for the plurality of heads are arranged in a sequence corresponding to ink characteristics. The plurality of print heads is divided into groups, with one of the groups being subjected to preliminary ejection on a sheet. The other print head group not subjected to preliminary ejection is located in a more upstream area with respect to a conveyance direction of the sheet.

Abstract: When an image is recorded using a multichip recording head including a plurality of chips each having a plurality of nozzle arrays, a change in image density can occur due to a registration error between chips in an overlapping part where two chips are connected. To suppress the change in image density, input image data is distributed to two chips such that there are dots overlapping each other between the two chips in the overlapping part.

Abstract: A first reading unit that reads a pattern or an image formed on a sheet by a print unit for recognizing a print unit state, a second reading unit that reads a cut mark formed on the sheet on a downstream thereof, a cutter that cuts the sheet on a downstream thereof, and a reverse unit that reverses the sheet fed to the print unit again are provided. In duplex printing, the sheet where images are sequentially printed on a first surface is led to the reverse unit, the front and rear faces are reversed, and the sheet is fed to the print unit again. The sheet where images and cut marks are sequentially printed on a second surface is cut by the cutter for each piece and discharged. The sheet is cut on the basis of a reading of the cut mark by the second reading unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a recording apparatus including recording heads each including a plurality of nozzle arrays that are arranged so as to overlap, wherein the width with which the overlapping portions of the recording heads for colors that are simultaneously used with a relatively high frequency overlap in an intersecting direction that intersects an array direction of nozzles is smaller than the width with which the overlapping portions of the recording heads for colors that are simultaneously used with a relatively low frequency overlap in the intersecting direction.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus and a print head recovery method are provided according to which, in an environment in which dust (e.g., paper dust) is easily attached to the periphery of an ejection port of a print head, the print head is subjected to a recovery operation depending on the level of the attached dust. The inkjet printing apparatus has a cutter unit for cutting a print medium and a recovery unit for performing the recovery operation by wiping the ejection port formation portion at which the ejection port is formed of the print head while sucking the ejection port formation portion. When the passing number showing how many times the cut part of the print medium cut by the cutter passes the printing position is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the recovery means subjects the print head to the recovery operation.

Abstract: To achieve both of highly reliable detection of a mark and suppression of a sheet consumption amount when a continuous sheet is cut on an image basis after a plurality of images has been printed on the continuous sheet. For this purpose, at the time of arranging a non-image area including a cut mark between two images to be successively printed, the length of the non-image area in a conveyance direction is set on the basis of the length of a precedently conveyed image in the conveyance direction and image data in a rear end part of the image.

Abstract: In-image preliminary ejection is performed by use of nozzles used to print an image out of the nozzles included in an overlapping link region, and between-image preliminary ejection is performed by use of nozzles which are not used to print the image. Thus, a reduction in image quality is inhibited, while the amount of print media used in the between-image preliminary ejection is reduced.

Abstract: A printing method is performed on a plurality of inkjet print heads to which humidified air is supplied to retain the humidity in the print heads. Ink colors for the plurality of heads are arranged in a sequence corresponding to ink characteristics. The plurality of print heads is divided into groups, with one of the groups being subjected to preliminary ejection on a sheet. The other print head group not subjected to preliminary ejection is located in a more upstream area with respect to a conveyance direction of the sheet.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a plurality of inkjet print heads to which humidified air is supplied to retain the humidity in the print heads. Ink colors for the plurality of heads are arranged in a sequence corresponding to ink characteristics. The plurality of print heads are arranged in a sequence such that a print head configured to eject ink characterized by having a larger amount of volatile components evaporated within a predetermined time is located in a more upstream area.