Abstract: It is characterized by: a print head configured to eject ink, which has flowed from a first-channel into a pressure-chamber, from a nozzle by driving an ejection energy generating element installed in the pressure-chamber; a circulation-pump configured to circulate the ink in a circulation channel including the first-channel, the pressure-chamber, and a second-channel that flows the ink inside the pressure-chamber to the outside of the pressure-chamber; a wiping unit configured with a cleaning member that can wipe an ejection port surface of an ejection port and a winding member that winds the cleaning member; and a control unit configured to control a cleaning operation in which the wiping unit wipes the ejection port surface, so that, in a case where the cleaning operation is performed after the circulation-pump is stopped, the cleaning operation is changed based on an elapsed time from the time the circulation-pump stopped driving.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: an ejection unit configured to perform a print operation of forming an image on a print medium by ejecting liquid from an ejection port by using drive of an ejection energy generation element provided in a pressure chamber, the liquid flowing into the pressure chamber from a first flow passage; a circulation unit configured to circulate the liquid in a circulation flow passage including the first flow passage, the pressure chamber, and a second flow passage configured to allow the liquid in the pressure chamber to flow to an outside of the pressure chamber; a recovery unit configured to perform a recovery operation of the ejection unit; and a control unit configured to stop the circulation unit before completion of the print operation by the ejection unit in the case where the recovery operation is to be performed after the print operation.

Abstract: A plurality of test patterns are printed with different print conditions, the test patterns each being formed by two inks out of a plurality of inks and a reaction liquid and including a plurality of patterns among which ejection positions of the reaction liquid relative to ejection positions of the two inks are displaced by a predetermined amount at a time. The optical properties of the respective test patterns printed on the print medium are detected. A displacement amount of the relative ejection positions of the reaction liquid from the ejection positions of the plurality of inks is obtained based on the optical property of the test pattern in which an optical density difference between the patterns in the test pattern is greater than a predetermined value and which has an optical density of a lowest level among the optical properties of the test patterns detected.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording unit, a scanning unit configured to perform relative scanning by moving the recording unit and a recording medium relative to each other at least once with respect to a unit region on the recording medium, a recovery unit configured to perform a recovery operation for maintaining or recovering a recording performance of the recording unit for application of a recording material, and a control unit configured to control the recovery unit, wherein the control unit acquires recording mode information about recording of an image to be performed on a recording medium for (n+1)-th page (n being a natural number) and determines, based on the acquired recording mode information, whether to perform an inter-page recovery operation at timing after recording of an image on a recording medium for n-th page ends and before recording of an image on a recording medium for (n+1)-th page starts.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a printing unit configured to apply ink containing a coloring material, and a reactive liquid that reacts with the ink, to a printing medium, a reading unit configured to read an ink image on the printing medium, a printing control unit configured to cause the printing unit to print a plurality of ink images different in application amount of the reactive liquid on the printing medium, and a determination unit configured to determine an application amount of the reactive liquid in printing using a predetermined type of printing medium, based on a correlation between a plurality of reading results obtained by the reading unit by reading the plurality of ink images printed on the predetermined type of printing medium.

Abstract: A print position adjustment mode is performed with high accuracy while consumption of print media is saved. An inkjet printing apparatus prints an adjustment pattern including multiple patches for adjusting print positions of dots by a print head on a print medium. Patches set next to each other in a scanning direction are printed above platen ribs at intervals based on rib pitches at which the platen ribs are arranged.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording unit, a scanning unit configured to perform relative scanning by moving the recording unit and a recording medium relative to each other at least once with respect to a unit region on the recording medium, a recovery unit configured to perform a recovery operation for maintaining or recovering a recording performance of the recording unit for application of a recording material, and a control unit configured to control the recovery unit, wherein the control unit acquires recording mode information about recording of an image to be performed on a recording medium for (n+1)-th page (n being a natural number) and determines, based on the acquired recording mode information, whether to perform an inter-page recovery operation at timing after recording of an image on a recording medium for n-th page ends and before recording of an image on a recording medium for (n+1)-th page starts.

Abstract: A technique capable of obtaining the displacement amount of the ejection position of a reaction liquid without changing a test pattern according to the configuration of the ejection head is to be provided. A test pattern including a detection pattern, which extends in a predetermined direction and in which, if divided into two, at least two inks and the reaction liquid are ejected to one area and only the at least two inks or the at least two inks and the reaction liquid of an amount that is smaller than that of the reaction liquid ejected to the one area are ejected to the other area, is printed, and the optical characteristics of the printed detection pattern are obtained. Further, based on the obtained optical characteristics of the detection pattern, the displacement amount of the ejection position of the reaction liquid in the predetermined direction is obtained.

Abstract: A plurality of test patterns are printed with different print conditions, the test patterns each being formed by two inks out of a plurality of inks and a reaction liquid and including a plurality of patterns among which ejection positions of the reaction liquid relative to ejection positions of the two inks are displaced by a predetermined amount at a time. The optical properties of the respective test patterns printed on the print medium are detected. A displacement amount of the relative ejection positions of the reaction liquid from the ejection positions of the plurality of inks is obtained based on the optical property of the test pattern in which an optical density difference between the patterns in the test pattern is greater than a predetermined value and which has an optical density of a lowest level among the optical properties of the test patterns detected.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the embodiments, in multi-tonal image data in which each of pixels is represented by bit data of M bits (M?2), reduction processing is performed by applying a mask pattern to the bit data to be thinned out without increasing load of calculation processing.

Abstract: First quantization data for printing by the first nozzle group and second quantization data for printing by the second nozzle group are generated based on multi-valued data. By use of mask patterns, first print data and second print data are generated based on the first quantization data and the second quantization data. The first mask pattern for generating first print data and the second mask pattern for generating second print data are formed so as to include a pixel in which printing of a dot is allowed in both and a pixel in which printing of a dot is not allowed in both. The pixel value of each pixel indicated by the multi-valued data has a correlation with the sum of the number of dots indicated by the first print data and the number of dots indicated by the second print data in the area corresponding to each pixel.

Abstract: There is a case where a reading unit cannot read an entire area of a recording medium in a scanning direction of a carriage, or a case where reading accuracy is low in the entire area. In such a case, a result of reading a test pattern for adjusting an ejection timing at each position cannot be obtained with high accuracy in a single reading operation. In order to solve the issue, a recording apparatus performs a reading operation a plurality of times and generates, based on results from the respective operations, an adjustment value for adjusting the ejection timing at each position in the scanning direction.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording unit, a scanning unit configured to perform relative scanning by moving the recording unit and a recording medium relative to each other at least once with respect to a unit region on the recording medium, a recovery unit configured to perform a recovery operation for maintaining or recovering a recording performance of the recording unit for application of a recording material, and a control unit configured to control the recovery unit, wherein the control unit acquires recording mode information about recording of an image to be performed on a recording medium for (n+1)-th page (n being a natural number) and determines, based on the acquired recording mode information, whether to perform an inter-page recovery operation at timing after recording of an image on a recording medium for n-th page ends and before recording of an image on a recording medium for (n+1)-th page starts.

Abstract: First quantization data for printing by the first nozzle group and second quantization data for printing by the second nozzle group are generated based on multi-valued data. By use of mask patterns, first print data and second print data are generated based on the first quantization data and the second quantization data. The first mask pattern for generating first print data and the second mask pattern for generating second print data are formed so as to include a pixel in which printing of a dot is allowed in both and a pixel in which printing of a dot is not allowed in both. The pixel value of each pixel indicated by the multi-valued data has a correlation with the sum of the number of dots indicated by the first print data and the number of dots indicated by the second print data in the area corresponding to each pixel.

Abstract: A print position adjustment mode is performed with high accuracy while consumption of print media is saved. An inkjet printing apparatus prints an adjustment pattern including multiple patches for adjusting print positions of dots by a print head on a print medium. Patches set next to each other in a scanning direction are printed above platen ribs at intervals based on rib pitches at which the platen ribs are arranged.

Abstract: There is a case where a reading unit cannot read an entire area of a recording medium in a scanning direction of a carriage, or a case where reading accuracy is low in the entire area. In such a case, a result of reading a test pattern for adjusting an ejection timing at each position cannot be obtained with high accuracy in a single reading operation. In order to solve the issue, a recording apparatus performs a reading operation a plurality of times and generates, based on results from the respective operations, an adjustment value for adjusting the ejection timing at each position in the scanning direction.

Abstract: A printing apparatus prints by discharging inks from respective nozzle arrays, the printhead having a plurality of nozzle arrays including at least a first nozzle array, a second nozzle array, and a third nozzle array, and the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array being arrayed to be shifted in a nozzle arrayed direction. The printing apparatus controls the first and second nozzle arrays to discharge inks to form a plurality of first patterns. The printing apparatus controls the third nozzle array to discharge inks to form second patterns while changing a shift amount in a direction which intersects with the nozzle arrayed direction with respect to the plurality of first patterns. The printing apparatus calculates an adjustment value required to adjust relative printing positions between the first nozzle array and the third nozzle array in the intersecting direction using the first patterns and the second patterns.

Abstract: Provided is a printing method for multi-pass printing with column thinning in which the multi-pass number is not restricted to being a multiple of the column thinning number. A mask pattern of a size corresponding to the number of printing elements in use is prepared, and divided into blocks 1 to P. Taking R(x) to be the mask pattern for the region corresponding to block x (where x=1 to P), these P block mask patterns satisfy the following condition. Namely, for all integers s obtainable between the values from 1 to M, the arrangements of printing pixels exist in a complementary relationship with each other in the combination of mask patterns R(s), R(s+M), R(s+2M), and so on to R(s+N×M). However, for all s, N is taken to be the largest integer satisfying s+N×M?P.

Abstract: A printing apparatus and a calibration method are provided which, by using a small-capacity memory, can perform a high-speed calibration processing on data used to eject ink of the same color from a plurality of nozzle arrays. By ejecting ink of the same color from the plurality of nozzle arrays, patch is printed and, based on the printed result of the patch, a content of a print data correction processing is changed.

Abstract: The invention provides a printing apparatus which can adjust printing position more accurately. The apparatus has a printing unit, a pattern printing unit to print a first pattern and a second pattern so as to form a third pattern, and an adjustment unit to perform an adjustment regarding position of dots to be printed by the printing unit based on an optical reflectivity of the third pattern. The second pattern is substantially the same as the first pattern and is shifted relative to the first pattern in a predetermined direction. The first and second patterns each include a plurality of patterns having different cyclic natures in the predetermined direction.