Abstract: A swath printer and multipass printing method for improving print quality. The printer minimizes dot placement errors on a printed medium due to depositing drops of ink from lower quality printhead nozzles by providing a printmask having a mask pattern which prints with those nozzles most susceptible to dot placement error using a hi-fipe printmode which deposits into a specific pixel location a small number of drops in each of multiple passes, and a multidrop printmode which deposits into a specific pixel location many drops rapidly in one of the passes. Because such a printer and method prints substantially equally with all printhead nozzles, it does not shorten the useful life of the printhead due to defects associated with the number of times a nozzle deposits ink.

Abstract: An inkjet printer and printing method for improving print quality. The printer minimizes the visually perceptible effect of dot placement errors, dot size errors, and dot shape errors on a printed medium due to depositing drops of ink from lower print quality printhead nozzles. The printer provides a sensor which can test the ink drop output of the printhead nozzles to determine, for each particular printhead installed in the printer, which nozzles are of higher print quality and which are of lower print quality. A printmask is then defined based on the results of the testing for use in printing from that printhead. The printmask has a mask pattern which enables the deposition of more ink from higher quality nozzles and less ink from lower quality nozzles. Such a printer improves print quality without reducing throughput.