Abstract: A printing apparatus and a preliminary discharge control method are capable of efficient preliminary discharge control even in a case where a time interval to assure normal printing is equal or nearly equal to the period of one print scanning of an inkjet printhead. In the method, in an inkjet printhead which performs printing by discharging ink from plural print elements while being reciprocate-scanned by a carriage, the number of ink dischargings from each of the plural print elements is counted during print scanning by reciprocate scanning. It is determined whether or not the counted number of ink dischargings from each of the plural print elements is equal to or greater than a predetermined number at predetermined intervals. In accordance with the result of determination, a printable period is updated, and the updated printable period is compared with time necessary for the next print scanning upon completion of one print scanning by reciprocate scanning.

Abstract: A recording apparatus is configured to record an image on a recording medium by repeating a recording operation and a conveying operation. The recording operation is operative to apply a recording agent to the recording medium using a recording head while moving the recording head for scanning in a direction different from a predetermined direction. The recording head includes a plurality of recording elements arranged in the predetermined direction and adapted to apply the recording agent. The conveying operation is operative to convey the recording medium in a direction transverse to the scanning direction.

Abstract: The present invention allows for creating high quality images by coping with a variety of kinds of print mediums without having to prepare large-sized, large-capacity power supply and ink supply source. For this purpose, this invention detects the number of printing elements to be driven in a predetermined check area set in one scan area of the print head. If the detected value is greater than a predetermined threshold, either the number of printing elements to be driven in one scan period of the print head or one scan period from when the print head starts the printing scan until the next printing scan is started is selected and changed according to the set printing condition and the printing operation is performed accordingly.

Abstract: The present invention provides a print apparatus and a printing method which enable high-grade images to be output at high speed without the need to drastically reduce the number of printing elements used to print leading and trailing end portions of a print medium. A first mask pattern used to print a middle portion of the print medium is different from a second mask pattern used to print the leading or trailing end portion of the print medium. The present invention thus eliminates the need to drastically reduce the number of printing elements used to print the leading or trailing end portion as with the prior art.

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: An inkjet recording apparatus suppresses defective ejection while reducing a consumed ink amount. In the apparatus, a cap-open period, during which a cap member does not cap ejection ports of a recording head of the apparatus, is measured, and a recovery operation executed by a recovery unit is controlled based on a cumulated cap-open period. With the above arrangement, there can be solved a problem that the ink ejecting state of the recording head is deteriorated depending on a recording operation because a cap-open state, in which the cap member does not cap the ejection ports of the recording head, continues while the inkjet recording apparatus executes the recording operation, thereby the reliability of the inkjet recording apparatus can be improved.

Abstract: In a print head having arrays of large nozzles and small nozzles with different ink ejection volumes that are connected to a common ink chamber, the preliminary ejection operation is performed 29,000 times first on only the large nozzles at an ejection frequency of 10 kHz to discharge viscous or mixed color ink from ink chambers. After the preliminary ejection operation of the large nozzles is finished, only the small nozzles are made to perform the preliminary ejection operation 2,000 times at an ejection frequency of 10 kHz. Reducing the number of preliminary ejections from the small nozzles in this manner can minimize the generation of stray mist. Further, by performing the preliminary ejection operation on the large nozzles first, it is possible to discharge enough viscous ink from the ink chamber.

Abstract: In a print head having arrays of large nozzles and small nozzles with different ink ejection volumes that are connected to a common ink chamber, the preliminary ejection operation is performed 29,000 times first on only the large nozzles at an ejection frequency of 10 kHz to discharge viscous or mixed color ink from ink chambers. After the preliminary ejection operation of the large nozzles is finished, only the small nozzles are made to perform the preliminary ejection operation 2,000 times at an ejection frequency of 10 kHz. Reducing the number of preliminary ejections from the small nozzles in this manner can minimize the generation of stray mist. Further, by performing the preliminary ejection operation on the large nozzles first, it is possible to discharge enough viscous ink from the ink chamber.

Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus suppresses defective ejection while reducing a consumed ink amount. In the apparatus, a cap-open period, during which a cap member does not cap ejection ports of a recording head of the apparatus, is measured, and a recovery operation executed by a recovery unit is controlled based on a cumulated cap-open period. With the above arrangement, there can be solved a problem that the ink ejecting state of the recording head is deteriorated depending on a recording operation because a cap-open state, in which the cap member does not cap the ejection ports of the recording head, continues while the inkjet recording apparatus executes the recording operation, thereby the reliability of the inkjet recording apparatus can be improved.

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: If print agents used are detected by an optical sensor at different sensitivities, the preset 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: A print position adjusting method capable of executing dot adjust value calculation processing in ways that can meet diversified user needs of recent years, and a printing system that can realize the print position adjusting method are provided. Multiple kinds of dot adjust value calculation processing capable of acquiring an adjust value for aligning print positions are prepared, so that the user can select a desired one. With this arrangement, the user can execute the desired dot adjust value calculation processing as necessary.

Abstract: According to the present invention, an adjustment value applicable to the adjustment of a printing position is obtainable by reading a printing position adjustment pattern printed on a printing medium without requiring the manual operation by the operator. Furthermore, the printing position can be optimally adjusted by accurately scanning the printing position adjustment pattern. For this purpose, an optical sensor is located in the vicinity of the printing head, and the optical sensor is situated near a predetermined position side. The predetermined position side is a pinch roller side where a large restrictive force acts to the printing medium with the printing position adjustment pattern printed thereon.

Abstract: A printing apparatus and a print position aligning method are provided which can execute a dot position adjust value calculation mode normally and smoothly without requiring the user to make decisions or adjustments. A test pattern to check the width of a print medium is printed and is detected by an optical sensor to decide whether or not a dot position adjustment pattern can be printed. Before the dot position adjustment pattern is printed, a decision is made as to whether the print medium supplied is appropriate or not. If the print medium supplied is smaller than a size specified for the dot position adjust value calculation processing, the print medium is discharged without being printed with the dot position adjustment pattern. This eliminates a possibility of a wasteful consumption of print mediums and of contaminating the interior of the printing apparatus.

Abstract: An ink jet print apparatus having a plurality of double-sided printing mode (e.g., automatic double-sided printing mode and manual double-sided printing mode) is provided, which produces a sufficient image quality whichever mode is executed. For this purpose, image data to be printed is converted into print image data usable by the printing apparatus in a way that matches a selected one of multiple print medium transport paths. This minimizes a curling problem due to variations in transport processes, image quality variations caused by an ink fixing problem and adverse effects on the printing apparatus and ensures a stable printing whichever transport path is used for printing.

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 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: In an ink jet printing apparatus using many types of inks to execute bidirectional printing, when symmetrically arranged ejection opening rows for a cyan, magenta, and yellow inks are used in the print head, one-pass bidirectional printing is executed. On the other hand, if ejection opening rows for a black ink are used in addition to the above ejection opening rows, multi-pass printing is executed so that there are a number of dots formed with one application order for the black and other color inks and the same number of dots formed with another application order for the black and other color inks. This reduces the non-uniformity of the colors attributed to the difference in application order.

Abstract: In an ink jet print head used in a serial type ink jet printing apparatus according the present invention, a portion of the nozzle column is given a wider nozzle-to-nozzle interval than those of other portions of the nozzle column so that the width in the line feed direction of each image area printed in a single printing scan by the ink jet print head is longer than a distance that a print medium is moved by one line feed. In this serial print head, the width of each image area printed by a single printing scan can be made a predetermined amount longer than the line feed distance at all times. As a result, the adjoining image areas printed by separate printing scans overlap each other at their boundary portions by a predetermined amount.

Abstract: In a print head having arrays of large nozzles and small nozzles with different ink ejection volumes that are connected to a common ink chamber, the preliminary ejection operation is performed 29,000 times first on only the large nozzles at an ejection frequency of 10 kHz to discharge viscous or mixed color ink from ink chambers. After the preliminary ejection operation of the large nozzles is finished, only the small nozzles are made to perform the preliminary ejection operation 2,000 times at an ejection frequency of 10 kHz. Reducing the number of preliminary ejections from the small nozzles in this manner can minimize the generation of stray mist. Further, by performing the preliminary ejection operation on the large nozzles first, it is possible to discharge enough viscous ink from the ink chamber.