Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided to enable high speed printing of an image with high resolution while suppressing degradation of image quality due to white stripes and density variations. In an ink jet printing apparatus using a multi-pass printing system, the same scan print area is divided at a predetermined pitch and the printing duties of the divided areas determined by the thinning out mask pattern are set to different values. In regard to the same scan print area formed by a plurality of the main scans, the divided areas corresponding to the ends of the print head have their printing duties set smaller than those of the divided areas on the inner side of the ends of the print head.

Abstract: In a printing apparatus communicating with an image data output device, a comparison unit compares a resolution of an image to be printed with a capability of the printer based upon image additional information, a request unit requests low quality image data corresponding to the image to be printed of the image data output device in accordance with a result of a comparison in the comparison unit, a determination unit determines a size of the image to be printed, and a second request unit requests image additional information, regarding the low quality image data corresponding to the image to be printed, of the image data output device in accordance with the size of the image to be printed. A printing method and a computer readable medium storing program code for causing a computer to perform the steps of the method are also provided.

Abstract: Replacement of a recording head on a recording apparatus is detected on the basis of a serial number allocated to each recording head. The recording head also carries head characteristic information such as color information, shading information and so forth. When the recording head is replaced with a new one, the head characteristic information of the newly mounted recording head is automatically stored, so that head driving conditions are automatically determined to optimize the recording conditions without requiring any manual adjustment. Recovery operation is automatically executed when replacement of the recording head is detected, so that required recording conditions are recovered without manual instructions.

Abstract: Simple manual management and easy use are aimed for a system having a printer and an external apparatus such as a digital camera connectable thereto. This aim can be achieved by storing the contents of a manual, an error countermeasure corresponding to an error code and the like respectively of the external apparatus in a memory of the printer or external apparatus in the form of text and by printing out a necessary portion of the contents stored in the memory when necessary such as when a user requests and when an error is detected.

Abstract: When an image is sensed by a digital camera, image additional information as the image sensing conditions is stored together with the sensed image information. Also, information unique to that digital camera is stored together with the image additional information. The digital camera is connected to a printer by, e.g., an IEEE1394 I/F. The printer stores printing control information as various combinations of unique information such as its printing method, the types of ink, paper, and the like, print quality and print speed, and processing technique such as masking. In response to a print instruction, the printer reads the image information and image additional information from the digital camera, and selects the printing control information in accordance with the read information and the set printing mode. The printer prints an image using the selected printing control information.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of printing a high quality color image with no color variations at high speed. For this purpose, this invention arranges in a main scan direction a plurality of print heads that eject different color inks, and reciprocally moves each of the print heads to perform a multipass printing in which a print operation is executed in both the forward and backward passes. During the multipass printing, the print duties of the print heads are set by mask patterns. Each of the mask patterns divides the print duty setting area for each nozzle group of each head into subdivided areas, sets the print duties of the subdivided areas to values different from each other and sets the print duties of the print heads to different values.

Abstract: When an image is sensed by a digital camera, image additional information as the image sensing conditions is stored together with the sensed image information. Also, information unique to that digital camera is stored together with the image additional information. The digital camera is connected to a printer by, e.g., an IEEE1394 I/F. The printer stores printing control information as various combinations of unique information such as its printing method, the types of ink, paper, and the like, print quality and print speed, and processing technique such as masking. In response to a print instruction, the printer reads the image information and image additional information from the digital camera, and selects the printing control information in accordance with the read information and the set printing mode. The printer prints an image using the selected printing control information.

Abstract: At least defective printing element information about a defective printing element among a plurality of printing elements is stored in an EEPROM. A complementary printing element for masking printing data corresponding to the defective printing element indicated by the defective printing element information and complementarily printing the printing data corresponding to the defective printing element is determined. The printing data of the defective printing element is printed using the determined complementary printing element.

Abstract: An ink-jet printing apparatus, for printing an image based on image information on a printing medium by relatively moving an ink-jet printhead, detects the temperature of the ink-jet printhead by using a head temperature detection unit and outputs it to a driving frequency determination unit. The driving frequency determination unit acquires temperature information in units of pages of image information or predetermined image areas. If the acquired temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the driving frequency of the ink-jet printhead is decreased when a predetermined unit of the image information is printed.

Abstract: An ink-jet printing apparatus is constructed to have one or more kinds of cloth printing modes and to select the cloth printing mode. In the cloth printing mode, at least one of printing condition is differentiated from the printing condition for other media. Also, by permitting various setting for the ink ejection amount and ejection method in the cloth printing mode, fine and precise textile printing can be performed by normal ink-jet printer in personal use.

Abstract: The present invention is designed to make uniform frequencies with which individual recording elements of a multihead are used in a recording apparatus for performing gray scale recording by controlling a number of dots recorded in a unit area. A gray scale pattern used to display gray scale is a pattern in which a plurality of blocks each comprising a dot concentration type gray scale pattern having a size smaller than that of the gray scale pattern is dispersed. The maximum difference between numbers of times the recording elements in the range of the gray scale pattern are used can be restricted within twice, and individual nozzles can be used uniformly. Consequently, imbalance of changes in the recording elements with time, caused by the differences between the frequencies with which the recording elements are used, can be restricted, thus restricting irregularities on an image.

Abstract: Replacement of a recording head on a recording apparatus is detected on the basis of a serial number allocated to each recording head. The recording head also carries head characteristic information such as color information, shading information and so forth. When the recording head is replaced with a new one, the head characteristic information of the newly mounted recording head is automatically stored, so that head driving conditions are automatically determined to optimize the recording conditions without requiring any manual adjustment. Recovery operation is automatically executed when replacement of the recording head is detected, so that required recording conditions are recovered without manual instructions.

Abstract: A color ink-jet head, having plural arrays of nozzles side by side in a main scan direction corresponding to different color inks, is moved to scan reciprocally. In a multi-pass recording for divided recording on an area by scanning at plural times with the head, an ink firstly landed on recording of the area determines a prioritized color influential on the color tone. Moreover, a printing medium is largely covered by the recording of first two passes. A harmful influence on a whole image by the color irregularity can reduced by suppressing the color irregularity in the two passes, therefore, the data recording ratio of the first pass to the area is set smaller than that of the second pass and thereafter. Further, for such the control, a pseudo periodical masking data arranging record prohibiting pixels and record permitting pixels in a visually agreeable state is introduced.

Abstract: According to the invention, a power supply for an image sensing device is obtained from a printer to prevent consumption of the battery. When the image sensing device is connected to the printer, a power management unit checks if electric power can be supplied from the printer. When electric power can be supplied from the printer, the power management unit switches the power supply from the battery to a power supply receiving/supplying unit that receives electric power from the printer. In this case, if the remaining capacity on the battery is small, the battery is charged by electric power from the printer. Also, the luminance of a display unit is increased, or the operation frequency of a control unit is raised. On the other hand, when electric power cannot be supplied from the printer, the power management unit switches the power supply to the battery.

Abstract: This invention relates to an ink-jet printer equipped with an ink-jet printhead and a control method and apparatus for the ink-jet printer. The printhead incorporates an EEPROM storing head information including the ink discharge amount characteristics of the printhead. The head information stored in this EEPROM is transmitted from the ink-jet printer having the printhead to the printer driver of a host computer. The printer driver then selects a gamma correction table in accordance with the head information. In this case, a gamma correction table is selected from a plurality of gamma correction tables in which pieces of correction information which make print densities uniform are stored in correspondence with ink discharge amounts. This table also includes correction data for correcting an increase in ink discharge amount to prevent beading due to an increase in ink discharge amount with a rise in the temperature of the printhead.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus detects loading of an ink cartridge into a loading portion based on information allocated to the cartridge. The cartridge carries characteristic information including information about manufacturing time of the cartridge. A recovery operation is executed by a discharge recovery device with the recovery operation being determined based on a time difference between the manufacturing time of the cartridge and the loading time when the cartridge is loaded into the loading portion.

Abstract: The present invention provides a printing apparatus and method that can prevent the image grade from lowering. A print head is provided with a plurality of printing elements to print dots on N adjacent rasters and dots on M adjacent columns under different conditions by causing the print heads perform a plurality of (P) main-scanning operations in a main-scanning direction and transporting a printing medium at least once in a sub-scanning direction. A plurality of dot arrangement patterns used for the same level of image data are periodically changed. The plurality of dot arrangement patterns are such that within each period when the patterns are repeatedly used, the number of dots formed in each of said N rasters are equalized, whereas the number of dots formed in each of said M columns are equalized.

Abstract: An ink jet printer includes a distance adjust mechanism for adjusting in two steps a distance between a liquid nozzle-formed face of a print unit and the recording surface, and a unit having first and second cleaning members with different free end positions, lengths and/or thicknesses are arranged movable relative to the face and adapted to wipe a substance adhering to the face off of the face with a predetermined engagement condition. The substance is wiped off of the face by the first and second cleaning members having different engagement conditions when the face is a first distance from a recording surface, and is wiped off with the engagement condition of a wipe portion of the first cleaning member virtually equal to the engagement condition of a wipe portion of the second cleaning member associated with the first distance when the face is a second distance from the medium.

Abstract: This ink jet recording apparatus makes it possible to reduce the requisite number of times that preliminary ejection is performed for the purpose of ejection recovery through suction, which must be effected to such a degree as to make color mixing on the recording paper sufficiently inconspicuous. With a plurality of recording heads using inks of different lightnesses, ejection recovery is performed successively on the recording heads in accordance with the descending order of ink lightness. In addition, the number of preliminary ejections after ejection recovery to be performed on the next recording head is also controlled, thereby attaining a still greater effect. In a method aspect, the present invention includes an initial discharge step for discharging ink from a recording head, interrupting the discharge of ink for an appropriate period set in accordance with the ink lightness, and discharging ink again from the discharge ports of the recording head after the interruption.

Abstract: In a system to which a plurality of devices are connected, each device has heretofore required a connector for an AC adapter and a connector for a signal line. Further, in order to arrange it so that the amount of power supplied to the overall system will not exceed a limit value, it has been required to adjust the amount of power during system use by turning the power source of each device on or off. According to the present invention, a signal line for data transfer and a power line for supply of power in a system connecting a plurality of devices are consolidated in a single cable to make it possible to connect both lines to one connector of each device. The power controller of a certain device acquires the properties of a plurality of devices connected to this device, decides the optimum power distribution and controls the power controllers of each of the other devices.