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: This invention has as its object to realize multi-pass print control which requires a short processing time by a simple arrangement. To this end, a printer according to this invention attains multi-grayscale print control by changing the number of dots to be printed on each pixel to overlap each other in multi-pass print control that prints the pixel in a plurality of scans. In this case, index patterns, each of which designates which of scans is to be used to print in accordance with the density level of a pixel, are prepared for respective pixel values. If a plurality of patterns are prepared for each pixel value, a pattern is randomly selected from them. An image is printed in accordance with a print pattern defined by the selected pattern.

Abstract: This invention provides an image processing apparatus capable of outputting a color image by reducing the information amount of each color component of the image by a method suited to the color component without deteriorating the quality of the image, and an image printing apparatus capable of printing an image without deteriorating the quality of the image, on the basis of received image data. Of color image data to be transmitted to the image printing apparatus (which uses, e.g., six colors Y, M, C, Bk, LC, and LM), the image processing apparatus quantizes colors (LC and LM) whose tone quality is important by a large number of gray levels (e.g., nine values), and does not compress these colors. The image processing apparatus quantizes colors (Y, M, C, and Bk) whose tone quality is not important by the number of gray levels (e.g., five values) by which the compression efficiency is improved, and then compresses these colors, thereby reducing the transmission data amount.

Abstract: A head unit detects the temperature of its internal printhead a plurality of number of times, and generates a plurality of digital signals corresponding to respective temperatures. The head unit determines a digital signal used as the temperature of the printhead on the basis of the generated digital signals. The head unit transmits the determined digital signal to a main unit having a main PCB. The main unit receives the digital signal transmitted from the head unit. The main unit executes printing control of the printhead based on the received digital signal.

Abstract: A printing apparatus capable of easily setting driving conditions in consideration of conditions on the printing apparatus main body side as well at an arbitrary point of time is disclosed. The printing apparatus including a printhead having a plurality of print elements and a head driver for generating a pulse-like driving signal supplied to the printhead. The apparatus sets driving conditions for a printhead with test patterns obtained by simultaneously driving a predetermined number of print elements of the plurality of print elements are printed on the printing medium while the pulse width of the driving signal is decreased stepwise from a predetermined value. Then, the boundary value of a pulse width with which a print element is not properly driven is obtained from the test patterns, and the pulse width of a driving signal generated by the head driver is controlled on the basis of the boundary value.

Abstract: After the front end area of the print medium has been printed and when the printing is to be continued following the front end area, a preliminary ejection is performed, prior to the current scan, on the nozzles that have not been used in preceding scans but begin to be used in a current scan, in order to remove viscous ink from the nozzles and making them ready to perform ejection. As a result, the ink ejection from the nozzles that begin to be used in the current scan becomes satisfactory.

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: 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: By using an ink jet recording head including an ink supply port for supplying an ink, a plurality of ink paths communicating with the ink supply port, a plurality of electro thermal converting elements arranged in an almost straight line along the longitudinal direction of the ink supply port which are disposed respectively in the plurality of ink paths and generate thermal energies utilized for discharging the ink, and a plurality of discharge ports for discharging the ink which communicate with the plurality of ink paths, respectively and are disposed by respectively facing the plurality of electro thermal converting elements, a recording is performed by disperse-driving the plurality of electro thermal converting elements.

Abstract: The invention is intended to reduce a possibility of the waste ink produced by the marginless printing overflowing from the ink absorber. To realize this, each time the marginless printing is executed, the volume of waste ink produced by the marginless printing is cumulatively added up in order to control a total volume of the waste ink. The waste ink volume to be added up is determined by at least the kind of print medium or the print mode.

Abstract: In a display apparatus (10), a lenticular lens (2) is detachable from or integrated with a frame (1). An insertion slot 3 for inserting an object to be displayed in the horizontal direction is formed between the frame (1) and lenticular lens (2). An arm (4) which is used to place the display apparatus to stand upright in a portrait or landscape position, and attachment grooves (5) that receive the arm (4) are formed on the back surface of the frame (1). The arm (4) and upper, lower, right, and left symmetrical attachment grooves (5) are formed to be able to place the display apparatus (10) in any of the upper, lower, right, and left directions when the object to be placed is set in a direction perpendicular to its insertion direction.

Abstract: In an liquid ejection head according to the present invention having a plurality of ejection openings arranged in a predetermined direction and a plurality of electro-thermal transducers for ejecting liquid from the ejection openings and being in relative motion with a printing medium, a kinetic energy of the liquid ejected from each ejection opening constituting an end group disposed in the respective opposite end section along the predetermined direction is larger than a kinetic energy of the liquid ejected from each ejection opening constituting a central group disposed in a central section along the predetermined direction. According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent an ink droplet ejected from the ejection opening in the end group from being deviated toward the central section along the predetermined direction, whereby the generation of white streaks is avoidable when a solid printing is carried out.

Abstract: This invention provides an image processing apparatus capable of outputting a color image by reducing the information amount of each color component of the image by a method suited to the color component without deteriorating the quality of the image, and an image printing apparatus capable of printing an image without deteriorating the quality of the image, on the basis of received image data. Of color image data to be transmitted to the image printing apparatus (which uses, e.g., six colors Y, M, C, Bk, LC, and LM), the image processing apparatus quantizes colors (LC and LM) whose tone quality is important by a large number of gray levels (e.g., nine values), and does not compress these colors. The image processing apparatus quantizes colors (Y, M, C, and Bk) whose tone quality is not important by the number of gray levels (e.g., five values) by which the compression efficiency is improved, and then compresses these colors, thereby reducing the transmission data amount.

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: Even if a recording medium is interfered with an opposed surface of a carriage and/or a recording head due to the curl of the recording medium, damage of the recording medium and the recording head is prevented by avoiding collision between an edge of the recording medium and the carriage and/or the recording head. The opposed surface (opposed to the recording medium) of the recording head 1 or the carriage is made smooth to form a smooth portion, and a moving range of the carriage is limited so that the smooth portion is not moved out of the recording medium, and a preliminary discharge receiving portion for receiving ink discharged to recover the recording head is disposed within the moving range of the carriage, and the moving range of the carriage is controlled to be limited when it is judged that curl will occur in the recording medium.

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.

Abstract: A contamination of a printing medium caused by ink mist or the like is suppressed, which may scatter or float in an apparatus when margin-less printing is carried out in an ink jet printer. When margin-less printing for an edge of a printing medium P is performed, a predetermined edge area {circle over (1)} is printed using a smaller number of ejection openings during one scanning operation than that used for other areas {circle over (2)} and {circle over (3)}, while taking transportation errors relating to this end into consideration. This reduces the amount of ink mist resulting from ink ejected out of the edge of the printing medium during one scanning operation.