Abstract: With an ink jet head having for each color two parallel columns of nozzles arranged shifted by one-half the pitch, odd-numbered rasters and even-numbered rasters are printed by the two nozzle columns. The registration between the odd- and even-numbered rasters is secured during the printing to produce a high quality image. The ink ejection timing between the two raster groups is shifted by a predetermined interval to form adjustment patterns; the adjustment patterns are checked and, according to the check result, an adjustment value for the ink ejection timing between the two ink nozzle columns is entered, and the entered adjustment value is stored to be reflected on the actual printing operation. To facilitate the adjustment pattern check, the adjustment patterns have a dot distribution with a blue noise characteristic at a resolution at which the printing apparatus can print.

Abstract: A printing apparatus including a print head including nozzle groups each having nozzles, each of the nozzle groups applying ink having a plurality of volumes from the nozzles to form dots including dots differing in size, including: an arrangement determination unit to determine an arrangement of dots to be formed by each of the nozzle groups; a size determination unit to determine sizes of ink ejected to print the dots determined by the arrangement determination unit, according to respective ejection characteristics of the nozzle groups, such that a print characteristic of an image based on the dot arrangement determined by the arrangement determination unit is within a predetermined range; and an ejection control unit to control the print head to eject ink having the plurality of sizes determined by the size determination unit in positions of a print medium based on the arrangement determined by the arrangement determination unit.

Abstract: In image processing, for a pixel with a density level smaller than a predetermined threshold value, the density level is corrected based on a parameter representing a degree of condensation of ink in a nozzle. For pixel with a density level equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold value, the density level is not corrected. This makes it possible to suppress an unevenness in density caused by the condensation of ink while suppressing blur at a contour of a character or a thin line.

Abstract: With an ink jet head having for each color two parallel columns of nozzles arranged shifted by one-half the pitch, odd-numbered rasters and even-numbered rasters are printed by the two nozzle columns. The registration between the odd- and even-numbered rasters is secured during the printing to produce a high quality image. The ink ejection timing between the two raster groups is shifted by a predetermined interval to form adjustment patterns; the adjustment patterns are checked and, according to the check result, an adjustment value for the ink ejection timing between the two ink nozzle columns is entered, and the entered adjustment value is stored to be reflected on the actual printing operation. To facilitate the adjustment pattern check, the adjustment patterns have a dot distribution with a blue noise characteristic at a resolution at which the printing apparatus can print.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for generating dot data to form an image by forming dots on a recording medium includes a receiving unit, a first, second, and third generating unit, and a correcting unit. The receiving unit receives first and second image data included in image data. The first generating unit generates, per the first image data, first ink color data representing a multi-valued signal value corresponding to an ink color. The second generating unit generates, per the second image data, second ink color data representing a multi-valued signal value corresponding to an ink color. The correcting unit corrects the signal value represented by the generated first and second ink color data. The third generating unit generates, per the first and second ink color data of which the signal values have been corrected, the dot data representing existence of formation of dots to form an image.

Abstract: Adequate correction processing is performed on image data based on the degree of ink concentration that occurs even. An image processing apparatus having: acquisition unit for acquiring multi-value image data and a first parameter related to the degree of concentration of ink; first generation unit for generating corrected data by correcting the multi-value data that is to be printed for the first pixel based on the multi-value data that is to printed in the first pixel and a first parameter; and second generation unit for generating the first parameter and a second parameter that indicates the degree of ink concentration of the plurality of nozzles when printing a second pixel that is printed by the nozzles next to the first pixel.

Abstract: Provided are an inkjet printing apparatus and inkjet printing method that can, regardless of an ejection frequency of a print head, stabilize density of an image expressed on a print medium. For this purpose, an ink concentration integrated value is obtained according to the ejection history of each nozzle so as to be increased by data indicating non-ejection of the nozzle or decreased by data indicating ejection. Then, image data on the target pixel is corrected such that density of the target pixel is further reduced as the pixel is subjected to printing by a nozzle having a higher ink concentration integrated value.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording device is capable of correcting a recording position due to a leaning of a printing head and correcting of driving timing between multiple printing heads. Each nozzle row of a printing head is classified into multiple nozzle groups, and the driving timing of the nozzle groups other than the nozzle group serving as a reference of correction of the multiple nozzle groups is adjustable to correct for any leaning of the printing head. Moreover, in the event of performing the driving timing between printing heads, the driving timing of a non-reference printing head is adjustable relative to a reference printing head employed for leaning correction of multiple printing heads.

Abstract: In a printing apparatus improvement of drying ability and reduction of consumed power are concurrently achieved by improving the efficiency of drying ink. More concretely, hot air is blown onto a print medium printed by ink, and a portion of the blown hot air is recovered and blown again. Before the hot air is blown, the print medium is heated by a preheating unit, making it higher than the dew point temperature of the blown hot air.

Abstract: Multi-valued image data corresponding to a pixel area is divided into the first scanning multi-valued data, first and second scanning common multi-valued data, and second scanning multi-valued data. A quantization processing is executed on each of the multi-valued data to generate first scanning quantized data, first and second scanning common quantized data, and second scanning quantized data. After that, these pieces of quantized data are combined for each scanning to generate first scanning combined quantized data and second scanning combined quantized data. According to this, the amount of pixels where dots are both recorded by performing a scanning by plural times (the amount of overlapping dots) is controlled, and while suppressing the image density variations, the granularity is held to a low level.

Abstract: In image processing, for a pixel with a density level smaller than a predetermined threshold value, the density level is corrected based on a parameter representing a degree of condensation of ink in a nozzle. For pixel with a density level equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold value, the density level is not corrected. This makes it possible to suppress an unevenness in density caused by the condensation of ink while suppressing blur at a contour of a character or a thin line.

Abstract: A printing device using a print head ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles to print ink dots of a plurality of dot diameters, includes a print-characteristic acquisition unit obtaining print characteristic information on dot diameters of ink dots to be printed per each predetermined portion of the plurality of nozzles, a distribution ratio determination unit determining a distribution ratio for distributing image data to the predetermined portions of the plurality of nozzles based on the information, a dot print position determination unit quantizing the image data to determine a dot print position based on the image data and sizes and an array of thresholds; and a plurality of masks based on dot distribution order determined according to the distribution ratio, distributing printing of each of the ink dots of the plurality of dot diameters to the dot print position determined by the dot print position determination unit.

Abstract: In a printing apparatus capable of printing the same pixel by a plurality of print elements, a print speed is increased, and further, a partial frequency of use of each of the print elements is reduced, so as to prolong the lifetime of the print head. In view of this, dithering is used as a pseudo-halftone representing method, and further, a distribution pattern for use in creating image data to be distributed to each of the plurality of print elements is switched.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording device is capable of correcting a recording position due to a leaning of a printing head and correcting of driving timing between multiple printing heads. Each nozzle row of a printing head is classified into multiple nozzle groups, and the driving timing of the nozzle groups other than the nozzle group serving as a reference of correction of the multiple nozzle groups is adjustable to correct for any leaning of the printing head. Moreover, in the event of performing the driving timing between printing heads, the driving timing of a non-reference printing head is adjustable relative to a reference printing head employed for leaning correction of multiple printing heads.

Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus comprises a distributing unit configured to distribute print data for printing dot into data used for printing by first printing elements provided in a print head and data used for printing by second printing elements provided in the same print head, and a determining unit configured to, for the data used for printing by the respective parts of the printing element arrays of each of first and second print heads which have the overlapped print regions, determine a ratio between amount of the data used for printing by a combination of the first and second printing element arrays in the first print head and a combination of the first and second printing element arrays in the second print head.

Abstract: A printing apparatus including a print head including nozzle groups each having nozzles, each of the nozzle groups applying ink having a plurality of volumes from the nozzles to form dots including dots differing in size, including: an arrangement determination unit to determine an arrangement of dots to be formed by each of the nozzle groups; a size determination unit to determine sizes of ink ejected to print the dots determined by the arrangement determination unit, according to respective ejection characteristics of the nozzle groups, such that a print characteristic of an image based on the dot arrangement determined by the arrangement determination unit is within a predetermined range; and an ejection control unit to control the print head to eject ink having the plurality of sizes determined by the size determination unit in positions of a print medium based on the arrangement determined by the arrangement determination unit.

Abstract: The present invention suppresses data processing load and processing time when generating density data for the same color that corresponds to a plurality of printing scans (or plurality of printing element groups) of a printing head and printing medium. In order to accomplish this, input image data is converted to a plurality of density data by referencing a three-dimensional lookup table that performs one-to-one correlation of input image data with a plurality of density data that corresponds to a plurality of relative movements (or plurality of printing element groups). By doing so, it is possible to perform a process of generating density data (CMYK) that corresponds to a plurality of relative movements (or plurality of printing element groups) from input image data at once, and thus it is possible to suppress an increase in data processing load and processing time.

Abstract: A printing apparatus and a printing method are capable of not permitting a printable ratio of each printing scan to have a deviation and, even if a sudden conveyance shift occurs, outputting a uniform and smooth image in the whole area of the print medium. In order to achieve this, when performing multipass printing of 2M passes, a mask such that a printable area overlapping ratio that relates to straddling between Pass M and Pass M+1 is set higher than the printable area overlapping ratio that relates to straddling between two other consecutive passes is used. By this configuration, even if a complementary relationship of dots collapses due to a sudden conveyance shift or the like and thereby a density reduction is anticipated, by an overlapped dot being separated, increase of the density is accelerated, and it becomes possible to mitigate the above-mentioned density reduction.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for generating dot data to form an image by forming dots on a recording medium includes a receiving unit, a first, second, and third generating unit, and a correcting unit. The receiving unit receives first and second image data included in image data. The first generating unit generates, per the first image data, first ink color data representing a multi-valued signal value corresponding to an ink color. The second generating unit generates, per the second image data, second ink color data representing a multi-valued signal value corresponding to an ink color. The correcting unit corrects the signal value represented by the generated first and second ink color data. The third generating unit generates, per the first and second ink color data of which the signal values have been corrected, the dot data representing existence of formation of dots to form an image.

Abstract: When recording is performed in a pixel region by M (M is an integer equal to or larger than 2) passes with N (N is an integer equal to or larger than 2) recording element groups, density variation due to a deviation between recording positions of dots that are recorded by different passes is suppressed while a load of data processing is decreased. First, multivalued image data (24-1 to 24-2) corresponding to the M passes is generated from input image data, and the multivalued image data corresponding to the M passes is quantized to generate quantized data (26-1 to 26-2) corresponding to the M passes. Then, the quantized data corresponding to the M passes is divided into quantized data being complements of each other and corresponding to the N recording element groups. Accordingly, the quantized data (28-1 to 28-4) corresponding to the M passes for the N recording element groups is obtained.