Abstract: The positions and widths of a shared printing area and the gradients of printing ratios are made different between front surface printing and back surface printing.

Abstract: The remaining amounts of inks in tanks are obtained, and, based on the obtained results, whether direction for printing an image next is to be inverted with respect to a set direction. This can reduce a difference in ink remaining amount between the tanks corresponding to print heads.

Abstract: A recording apparatus acquires residual amounts of respective tanks and determines a recording area of one recording head and a recording area of another recording head from among the two recording heads based on the acquisition result, so as to reduce a difference between residual amounts of ink within the tanks corresponding to the respective recording heads.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus sets a threshold value matrix for each of multiple color materials, and uses the set threshold value matrix to acquire a first threshold value. On the other hand, the image processing apparatus sets reference data on the basis of multivalued data of that color material. Then, the image processing apparatus calculates a second threshold value matrix by performing a predetermined process on the first threshold value on the basis of the reference data for that color material. Further, by comparing the second threshold value with the multivalued data, quantization data for printing a dot is generated. When doing this, the threshold value matrix and the reference data for that color material are set so as to make the graininess of a dot pattern of that color material lower than the graininess of a mixed color dot pattern obtained by mixing dot patterns of the respective multiple color materials.

Abstract: A distance between a plurality of discharge orifice rows that discharge ink having a high permeation speed at a plurality of recording parts is made to be shorter than a distance between a plurality of discharge orifice rows that discharge ink having a low permeation speed at a plurality of recording parts.

Abstract: A recording device includes a recording unit, a scanning unit, and a recording control unit. The recording unit includes first and second recording parts each having multiple discharge orifice rows that each have multiple discharge orifices arrayed in a predetermined direction. The first recording part and the second recording part are separated from each other in an intersecting direction that intersects the predetermined direction. The scanning unit performs recording scanning by moving the recording unit. The recording control unit performs recording of a region on the recording medium including one edge of the recording medium by the first recording part alone, recording of another region including the other edge of the recording medium by the second recording part alone, and recording of a region in between the two regions using both recording parts.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus sets a threshold value matrix for each of multiple color materials, and uses the set threshold value matrix to acquire a first threshold value. On the other hand, the image processing apparatus sets reference data on the basis of multivalued data of that color material. Then, the image processing apparatus calculates a second threshold value matrix by performing a predetermined process on the first threshold value on the basis of the reference data for that color material. Further, by comparing the second threshold value with the multivalued data, quantization data for printing a dot is generated. When doing this, the threshold value matrix and the reference data for that color material are set so as to make the graininess of a dot pattern of that color material lower than the graininess of a mixed color dot pattern obtained by mixing dot patterns of the respective multiple color materials.

Abstract: In an image processing apparatus for encoding image data and a method of controlling the same, whether an attribute of each of a plurality of areas in image data corresponds to an edge in an image based on the image data is determined, and one of a plurality of sub-sampling processes is selected according to the determination for each of the plurality of areas. Note that the plurality of sub-sampling processes can sub-sample color difference components of each of the plurality of areas by different processes. By the sub-sampling process selected as that corresponding to each of the plurality of areas, each of the plurality of areas is sub-sampled to encode the image data.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus sets a threshold value matrix for each of multiple color materials, and uses the set threshold value matrix to acquire a first threshold value. On the other hand, the image processing apparatus sets reference data on the basis of multivalued data of that color material. Then, the image processing apparatus calculates a second threshold value matrix by performing a predetermined process on the first threshold value on the basis of the reference data for that color material. Further, by comparing the second threshold value with the multivalued data, quantization data for printing a dot is generated. When doing this, the threshold value matrix and the reference data for that color material are set so as to make the graininess of a dot pattern of that color material lower than the graininess of a mixed color dot pattern obtained by mixing dot patterns of the respective multiple color materials.

Abstract: Differences in color change due to bronze colors and the optical interference state related to bronzing are suppressed among multiple print modes. The blue primary color “Blue” in the standard RGB gamut is mapped to a point (color) that has moved in the clockwise direction, and that color is taken to be the primary color “Blue-s” in the Standard mode gamut. As a result, when an observer observes this color, the color shifted in the counter-clockwise direction is perceived as a color of the same hue as the primary color “Blue-f” in the Fine mode gamut, suppressing the difference in perceived color between the Fine mode and the Standard mode.

Abstract: A check pattern is printed which makes it possible to detect, with high precision, individual patterns corresponding to nozzles of a print head of an inkjet printing apparatus. More specifically, after an alignment mark is printed, ejection of an ink from the nozzles is stopped for a certain time. Because of this stoppage time, the concentration of a coloring material of the ink ejected from the nozzles increases, whereby the optical density of an analysis pattern which is printed later can be increased. In this manner, a scanner can read, with high precision, the patterns corresponding to the nozzles.

Abstract: In an inkjet printing apparatus, the colors of ink dots are controlled to make it possible to change the colors of an image to be printed. More specifically, ink temperatures, ink permeation speeds, and the capillary occupancy rates of inks in a print medium are used to control a permeation area formed by performing printing with preceding cyan and subsequent magenta, thereby controlling the colors realized by the inks which are ejected in an overlapping manner.

Abstract: In an overlapping head including a plurality of recording head chips overlapped to each other, a color shift can occur between a color recorded by an overlapping region and a color recorded by a non-overlapping region, which cannot be corrected by a density correction using head shading or the like. To correct such a color shift, a test pattern is recorded by the overlapping region and the non-overlapping region and colors of the recorded test pattern are measured. Color correction data to be used in correction of colors of an image to be recorded is generated based on a result of the measurement of the colors.

Abstract: In image processing, it is possible to suppress density fluctuation and keep graininess low as well as obtain a good balance of the processing load. More specifically, when dividing multi-valued data and generating two-pass multi-pass printing data, divided multi-valued data that is common to the two passes is generated in addition to the divided multi-valued data for each of the two passes. Moreover, quantized data of that common multi-valued data is reflected on the quantized data for each pass. Furthermore, when generating quantized data, a process of generating common data by the aforementioned data division, or a process of performing quantization first without dividing the multi-valued data and then dividing the quantized 2-pass data is selectively performed according to the printing position on printing medium.

Abstract: In an image processing apparatus for encoding image data and a method of controlling the same, whether an attribute of each of a plurality of areas in image data corresponds to an edge in an image based on the image data is determined, and one of a plurality of sub-sampling processes is selected according to the determination for each of the plurality of areas. Note that the plurality of sub-sampling processes can sub-sample color difference components of each of the plurality of areas by different processes. By the sub-sampling process selected as that corresponding to each of the plurality of areas, each of the plurality of areas is sub-sampled to encode the image data.

Abstract: In an image processing apparatus for encoding image data and a method of controlling the same, whether an attribute of each of a plurality of areas in image data corresponds to an edge in an image based on the image data is determined, and one of a plurality of sub-sampling processes is selected according to the determination for each of the plurality of areas. Note that the plurality of sub-sampling processes can sub-sample color difference components of each of the plurality of areas by different processes. By the sub-sampling process selected as that corresponding to each of the plurality of areas, each of the plurality of areas is sub-sampled to encode the image data.

Abstract: A check pattern is printed which makes it possible to detect, with high precision, individual patterns corresponding to nozzles of a print head of an inkjet printing apparatus. More specifically, after an alignment mark is printed, ejection of an ink from the nozzles is stopped for a certain time. Because of this stoppage time, the concentration of a coloring material of the ink ejected from the nozzles increases, whereby the optical density of an analysis pattern which is printed later can be increased. In this manner, a scanner can read, with high precision, the patterns corresponding to the nozzles.

Abstract: In an inkjet printing apparatus, the colors of ink dots are controlled to make it possible to change the colors of an image to be printed. More specifically, ink temperatures, ink permeation speeds, and the capillary occupancy rates of inks in a print medium are used to control a permeation area formed by performing printing with preceding cyan and subsequent magenta, thereby controlling the colors realized by the inks which are ejected in an overlapping manner.

Abstract: Uneven glossiness is effectively suppressed between areas where light inks are mainly used and areas where dark inks are mainly used. The gloss is raised in areas where dark cyan ink C is used. In other words, the application amount of second clear ink applied by after application printing is set to 32% at primary cyan (grid point 16) to equalize the gloss with areas where light cyan ink LC is used. Also, the application amount of first clear ink applied by common printing is set to 32% in a highlight portion (grid point 8) to equalize the gloss with the maximum gloss reached using dark cyan ink C. In so doing, it is possible to keep the gloss nearly constant over the entire range from white to cyan, or in other words, suppress uneven glossiness.

Abstract: Provided is an image processor and image processing method that are capable of suppressing both density unevenness and graininess that occur due to deviation of the printing position of dots that are printed by a plurality of relative movements (or a plurality of printing element groups). In order to accomplish this, the dot overlap rate of an image characteristic in which density unevenness stands out is made higher than the dot overlap rate of an image characteristic in which other defects stand out more than the density unevenness. By doing so, it is possible to suitably adjust the dot overlap rate according to an image characteristic, and to output an image having no density unevenness or graininess.