Abstract: In an inkjet printing method of performing printing on a printing medium by ejecting inks from a printing head configured to eject chromatic inks and an achromatic ink while moving the printing head, high-quality printing with few boundary stripes produced when the amount of inks is large is realized without complicated control being performed. To this end, print data in a boundary and the vicinity thereof is divided into unit regions, and for each unit region, performed are (A) a first reduction processing which determines a hue of the unit region based on amounts of the chromatic inks, and reduces the amount of chromatic inks applied to the unit region according to the determined hue; and (B) a second reduction processing which reduces an amount of achromatic ink based on the amount of achromatic ink applied to the unit region.

Abstract: In the present invention, a conveying operation of a recording medium is controlled on the basis of a first correction value and a second correction value. The first correction value is used for correcting a conveying amount when the recording medium disengages from a first conveying roller, and the second correction value is used for correcting the phase of the first conveying roller and a second conveying roller when the recording medium disengages from the first conveying roller before the recording medium is nipped by the first conveying roller.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a printing position adjusting method capable of performing dot adjustment value acquisition processing that can accommodate diversified user needs of recent years, and a printing system capable of achieving the adjusting method. The printing position adjusting method according to the present invention provides a plurality of types of dot adjustment value acquisition processing capable of acquiring an adjustment value for matching printing positions, and enables selection of a single appropriate dot adjustment value acquisition processing type among the plurality of types of dot adjustment value acquisition processing according to the type of the print medium to be used. Consequently, a user will be able to suitably execute dot adjustment value acquisition processing with high accuracy in correspondence with the desired high level of quality.

Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus and an ink jet printing method are provided which are capable of minimizing image impairments caused by a bias of satellite positions even when an odd-numbered-pass bidirectional multi-pass printing is performed. To this end, in an odd-numbered-pass bidirectional printing, a mask pattern, in which print permitted pixels and print non-permitted pixels are arranged such a way that a percentage of pixels in which predetermined two inks are permitted to be printed by scans in different directions is higher than a percentage of pixels in which the predetermined two inks are permitted to be printed by scans in the same directions, is used. This increases the probability of satellites of the two types of the inks printed in the same pixels being printed on both sides of main dots, thus allowing a uniform image to be produced even by an odd-numbered-pass bidirectional printing.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording unit configured to record a first dot and a second dot having a diameter smaller than that of the first dot on a recording medium, and a scanning unit configured to move the recording unit in a scanning direction. A recording resolution of the second dot in the scanning direction is lower than a recording resolution of the first dot in the scanning direction.

Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing apparatus which executes a proper recovery operation in accordance with the demounting time period of an ink tank and information of the ink tank. In the inkjet printing apparatus of this invention, the demounting time period and information of the ink tank are used as parameters for determining the condition of a recovery operation after the ink tank is once demounted and thereafter mounted again. Since recovery is done in consideration of the degrees of ink evaporation and an increase in viscosity, wasteful ink consumption can be suppressed while a necessary recovery operation is performed.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a conveying roller and an ejection roller for conveying a recording medium. The recording apparatus also includes a controller which controls the conveying roller and the ejection roller. The controller selectively performs a conveyance control process for the rollers when the recording medium leaves the conveying roller.

Abstract: In an ink jet printing apparatus using many types of inks to execute bidirectional printing, if ejection opening rows for yellow, magenta, and cyan inks are symmetrically arranged, ejection opening rows for a black ink are arranged adjacent to the most inside ejection opening rows for the yellow ink. Thus, a difference in color between forward scanning and backward scanning is determined by a difference in coloring between the black ink and the yellow ink. In this case, a possible color drift attributed to bidirectional printing can be suppressed by selecting the inks so that the difference in coloring between the black ink and the yellow ink is smaller than that between the black ink and the other color inks.

Abstract: A present invention reduces the generation of periodic uneven print density in the image in a main scanning direction. The present invention focuses attention on a fact that, when a printing head including a plurality of nozzle arrays for ejecting different inks is used to print an image and when the same pixel is printed by a combination of nozzle arrays in which an interval in the main scanning direction is relatively short, the displacement of ink impact positions is smaller when compared to a case where the same pixel is printed by a combination of nozzle arrays in which an interval in the main scanning direction is relatively long. Thus, a dot arrangement pattern allocated to the pixel data is selected so that the same pixel is printed by a combination of nozzle arrays in which an interval in the main scanning direction is relatively short.

Abstract: The present invention reduces image deterioration such as density nonuniformity when recording is performed using a recording head having two ejection orifice rows that eject a predetermined achromatic ink, for example, gray ink. For this purpose, the distance between two ejection orifice rows that eject a predetermined achromatic ink is larger than the distance between two ejection orifice rows that eject a predetermined chromatic ink.

Abstract: In an ink jet printing apparatus using many types of inks to execute bidirectional printing, if ejection opening rows for yellow, magenta, and cyan inks are symmetrically arranged, ejection opening rows for a black ink are arranged adjacent to the most inside ejection opening rows for the yellow ink. Thus, a difference in color between forward scanning and backward scanning is determined by a difference in coloring between the black ink and the yellow ink. In this case, a possible color drift attributed to bidirectional printing can be suppressed by selecting the inks so that the difference in coloring between the black ink and the yellow ink is smaller than that between the black ink and the other color inks.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording unit configured to record a first dot and a second dot having a diameter smaller than that of the first dot on a recording medium, and a scanning unit configured to move the recording unit in a scanning direction. A recording resolution of the second dot in the scanning direction is lower than a recording resolution of the first dot in the scanning direction.

Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid application device and an inkjet recording apparatus, which are capable of supplying liquid to a liquid room with the power consumption and/or the noise which are reduced. A pump is driven to fill a liquid retention space S with an application liquid. When the filling has been completed, the pump is stopped. Subsequently, the application liquid is applied to an application medium which has been transferred. At this time, a count in a RAM is increased. Thereafter, the determination as to whether or not the application can be carried out is made on the basis of the count and the prescribed application-performable number of sheets stored in a ROM. If it is determined that the application cannot be carried out, the filling of the application liquid is performed. If it is determined that the application can be carried out, next application is performed.

Abstract: If print agents used are detected by an optical sensor at different sensitivities, the present invention enables the easy setting of adjustment values for print positions resulting from these print agents. To accomplish this object, for example, the present invention substitutes and sets adjustment values for print positions resulting from cyan, light cyan, or black ink, corresponding to a high detection sensitivity, for adjustment values for print positions resulting from a light magenta, yellow, or magenta ink, corresponding to a low detection sensitivity.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus applicable for two-side recording, which permits reliable reduction of smears caused by contact of the recording medium or secondary smears staining the following recording media by the ink adhering in the conveyance path, and obtaining high-quality images. After performing recording on the surface of the recording medium by the recording head for discharging ink, the recording medium is reversed for recording on the back thereof. For each of unit regions obtained by dividing the region corresponding to the surface of the recording medium, information about the quantity of ink to be applied to these unit regions is acquired, and the length of the operation downtime corresponding to the period of time from the end of the operation relating to recording on the surface of the recording medium up to the operation start relating to recording on the back of the recording medium is determined based on the acquired information.

Abstract: In a printer, when difference in ejection characteristic among nozzles appears as density non-uniformity and the way of letting the density non-uniformity appear is different depending upon kind of image, proper density correction is performed. Specifically, the kind of image to be printed is judged, and when the kind of image is a halftone image according to the judgment, a density correction table corresponding to the halftone image is selected and used to perform the density correction. Also when the kind of image is judged to be a solid image (without a portion of the halftone image), a proper table is selected similarly and used to perform the density correction.

Abstract: According to the present invention, if an image is printed on both sides of a printing medium, the possibility of rubbing ink off from the printing medium is minimized to inhibit contamination of the printing medium and the interior of the printing apparatus, while maintaining the print grade of the image. Thus, if a double side print mode is executed in which an image is printed on both sides of the printing medium, then, for a particular image part, a ratio of an amount of black pigment ink used to an amount of black dye ink used is set so as to limit the amount of black pigment ink used and to compensate for a decrease in print density with the limited amount of the black pigment ink used.

Abstract: In an image processing method, on the basis of input image data with respect to a target pixel, independent multi-level data (g0, g1) corresponding to respective plural species of dots which are different in at least one of a density and a diameter are generated, and then data (O0, O1) relating to an amount of generation of the dots with respect to the target pixel are generated on the basis of a relationship between the generated independent multi-level data (g0, g1) corresponding to the plural species of dots. The image processing method is effective in performing design having a high degree of flexibility in proper use of a relatively high power dot (high density dot or large dot) and a relatively low power dot (low density dot or small dot) and can realize obviation or alleviation of an occurrence of granulation or an apparent frame caused due to the relatively high power dot.

Abstract: In an image processing method, on the basis of input image data with respect to a target pixel, independent multi-level data (g0, g1) corresponding to respective plural species of dots which are different in at least one of a density and a diameter are generated, and then data (O0, O1) relating to an amount of generation of the dots with respect to the target pixel are generated on the basis of a relationship between the generated independent multi-level data (g0, g1) corresponding to the plural species of dots. The image processing method is effective in performing design having a high degree of flexibility in proper use of a relatively high power dot (high density dot or large dot) and a relatively low power dot (low density dot or small dot) and can realize obviation or alleviation of an occurrence of granulation or an apparent frame caused due to the relatively high power dot.

Abstract: On performing a predetermined printing operation, whether or not, among a plurality of printing elements, only a part of the printing elements are applied is detected. If it is judged that only the part of the printing elements are used, a judgment is made whether or not the preliminary discharge operation is performed based on the number of discharges for the part of the printing elements, and if it is not judged that only the part of the printing elements are used, a judgment is made whether or not the preliminary discharge operation is performed based on the number of discharges for all of the printing elements of the printing head. This eliminates an unnecessary preliminary discharge for non-printing elements even in a printing operation mode in which only a part of the printing elements are applied.