Abstract: A printing apparatus including a head section which discharges a color ink which is cured due to irradiation of light and a clear ink which is cured due to the irradiation of light, an irradiation section which irradiates the light, and a storage section which stores a relationship between a total amount of color duty which is an amount of the color ink which is discharged per unit region and clear duty which is an amount of the clear ink which is discharged per unit region, and glossiness of an image which is printed using the color ink and the clear ink which have been discharged, wherein, according to the color duty in a certain region in the image, the clear duty in the region is determined based on the relationship so that the glossiness of the image is a predetermined value.

Abstract: A method and system modify a rasterized digital image to reduce registration artifacts, the image having a black plane and a color plane by determining if a pixel is part of a connected black region and if the pixel is part of a connected color region. It is determined if the pixel is part of a connected black region and a connected color region that are contiguous. A dilation operation is performed on the color plane value of the pixel if the pixel is part of a connected black region and a connected color region that are contiguous.

Abstract: Provided is a method for automatically determining an error of a user operation or a calorimeter caused when the calorimeter is manually slid to measure the colors of color patches on a row-by-row basis. Also provided is a method capable of determining an error or a scanning direction using a feature value obtained from the calorimetric values without using fixed reference and threshold values for each patch.

Abstract: A pattern is formed by carrying out the steps of dropping curable ink linearly onto a substrate, curing the ink dropped onto the substrate, and depositing layers of ink by repeating a process of linearly dropping a predetermined amount of ink onto the cured ink and a process of curing the predetermined amount of ink. In the step of depositing layers of ink, the ink is dropped at dot pitch p that satisfies pmin?p when the ink is dropped at dot pitch p, and a minimum dot pitch for preventing the dropped ink from spreading beyond cured landing-position ink that is located at a landing position of the dropped ink is pmin.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus herein provide for automated calibration of multiple printheads used in a multi-pass printing system. Aspects hereof print a plurality of gray scale printed patterns each printed pattern corresponding to a gray scale value for each of the multiple printheads. The printed patterns are then measured to determine the intensity (e.g., optical density) of each of the printed patterns. A measurement function is derived from the measured intensity and gray scale levels used to print each pattern. Calibrated transfer functions are then determined from the measurement function and target function where each calibrated transfer function relates, for a corresponding printhead, an input gray scale level of a pixel in an image to be printed to a calibrated gray scale level to use for the corresponding printhead when operating in multi-pass mode.

Abstract: Adequate correction processing is performed on image data based on the degree of ink concentration that occurs even. An image processing apparatus having: acquisition unit for acquiring multi-value image data and a first parameter related to the degree of concentration of ink; first generation unit for generating corrected data by correcting the multi-value data that is to be printed for the first pixel based on the multi-value data that is to printed in the first pixel and a first parameter; and second generation unit for generating the first parameter and a second parameter that indicates the degree of ink concentration of the plurality of nozzles when printing a second pixel that is printed by the nozzles next to the first pixel.

Abstract: A printing device using a print head ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles to print ink dots of a plurality of dot diameters, includes a print-characteristic acquisition unit obtaining print characteristic information on dot diameters of ink dots to be printed per each predetermined portion of the plurality of nozzles, a distribution ratio determination unit determining a distribution ratio for distributing image data to the predetermined portions of the plurality of nozzles based on the information, a dot print position determination unit quantizing the image data to determine a dot print position based on the image data and sizes and an array of thresholds; and a plurality of masks based on dot distribution order determined according to the distribution ratio, distributing printing of each of the ink dots of the plurality of dot diameters to the dot print position determined by the dot print position determination unit.

Abstract: Print data is generated to form an image on a printing medium by superposing a plurality of types of printing materials in some or all pixels of an output image in an order complying with the intensities of the light scattering characteristics of the plurality of types of printing materials. The generated print data is transmitted to a printing apparatus.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus, in which a line head is configured by arranging a plurality of nozzles, some of which are made to overlap, of short nozzle rows each having a jetting nozzle row arranged in one direction relative to a conveyance direction of a recording medium being conveyed by a conveyance mechanism and which forms records an image by jetting ink from the jetting nozzles onto the recording medium, comprises a conveyance information generating unit which generates conveyance information indicating a conveyance distance of the recording medium, a recording medium detecting unit which detects an edge of the recording medium being conveyed, and a controlling unit which performs a density correction of an image recorded by an overlapping portion of the short nozzle rows on the basis of a detection result of the recording medium detecting unit and the conveyance information obtained from the conveyance information generating unit.

Abstract: A droplet ejection apparatus includes droplet ejection units each including a supply port and an ejection port, a common supply flow path, a common discharge flow path, supply flow paths that connect the supply port to the common supply flow path, openable mechanisms provided at the supply flow paths, discharge flow paths that connect the ejection port to the common discharge flow path, one-way valves provided at the discharge flow paths, a pressure applying unit, and a controller. When performing a maintenance operation of a selected droplet ejection unit, the controller applies a pressure with the pressure applying unit so that the pressure in the plural discharge flow paths at the common discharge flow path side with respect to the respective one-way valves is higher than the other side, and opens only the openable mechanism corresponding to the selected droplet ejection unit.

Abstract: When completing an image in a predetermined area by an odd or even number of bidirectional printing scans, this invention makes it possible to suppress lines of image defects and density variations and thereby print a high-quality image at high speed. In completing an image by an odd number of bidirectional printing scans, the print data for small ink droplets and large ink droplets are thinned using the first and second thinning pattern. The first and second thinning pattern thin the print data for small ink droplets and large ink droplets so that a difference between the total print ratio of all forward printing scans of the odd number of scans and the total print ratio of all backward printing scans of the odd number of scans when the first thinning pattern is used differs from that when the second thinning pattern is used.

Abstract: A method is provided for processing an image to optimize print time of the image by a print apparatus based on the size of the image to be printed and the print pass thresholds of the print apparatus. A dimension of the image corresponding to the dimension along the sub-scanning axis of the image as it will be printed by the print apparatus is obtained, along with the corresponding number of print passes required to print the image. An analysis is performed to determine whether the size of the image could be reduced to require one less print pass by the print apparatus in printing the reduced image based on the proximity of the determined dimension to the range of dimensions that will result in one less print pass by the print apparatus.

Abstract: A determination is made, throughout one page, of whether a unit region is to be printed chromatically or achromatically, or nothing is to be printed; a determination is made of whether or not, in the one page, there is at least one unit region determined to be printed achromatically between two unit regions where nothing is to be printed; when it is determined that there is at least one such unit region, a determination is further made of whether or not there is at least one unit region determined to be printed chromatically between the two unit regions where nothing is to be printed; when it is determined that there is at least one such unit region, the determination results of the unit region determined to be printed achromatically are changed to chromatic printing; and printing is performed according to the changed results.

Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a liquid discharge head (120) having ink discharge nozzles (203) for discharging droplets of inks, and a head controller (162) for controlling the liquid discharge head to discharge droplet from liquid discharge units onto the surface of recording paper (P), wherein the liquid discharge head includes the plural liquid discharge heads in a direction perpendicular to movement direction of recording paper where the recording paper is relatively moved with respect to the liquid discharge head. The head controller serves to allow discharge timings of droplets in movement direction of the recording paper to be different every one pixel in movement direction of the recording paper to eliminate stripes apt to take place when a portion or the entirety of image is printed by one scanning operation to obtain image having less defect.

Abstract: A method of reducing the amount of black in an image is disclosed. The method is using a computer to reduce the amount of or eliminate the black in an original digital image. The major procedure is to increase the pixels of the original digital image (by four or nine times) and then change the color information of the pixels.

Abstract: A liquid droplet ejection device includes a recording section, a moving section, and a driving signal supplying section. In the recording section, plural liquid droplet ejectors are arrayed, each liquid droplet ejector has a driving element, and ejects a liquid droplet onto a recording medium in response to a driving signal being supplied to the driving element. The moving section moves the recording section and the recording medium relative to one another in a direction intersecting the array direction of the liquid droplet ejectors. The driving signal supplying section generates, when plural types of liquid droplets having different droplet volumes are ejected onto the recording medium while the recording section and the recording medium are moved relatively, the driving signals such that, the smaller a droplet volume of a liquid droplet, the faster the ejection speed of the liquid droplet.

Abstract: A printing apparatus which prints by scanning a printhead in two directions based on raster data containing multi-valued data, sequentially stores multi-valued data contained in each raster data in a print buffer in correspondence with a predetermined direction of the two directions, acquires for each raster data, identification information corresponding to the multi-valued data stored in the print buffer first and identification information corresponding to the multi-valued data stored in the print buffer lastly for each tone value based on initial values of identification information and the number of multi-valued data contained in each raster data, generates bitmap data from the multi-valued data using pattern data read out based on identification information selected based on a scanning direction of the printhead, and controls printing of the printhead based on the generated bitmap data.

Abstract: A modular printing device has been developed that may be configured with different numbers of ink colors and ink types and with a different cross-process direction print resolution for each ink color and ink type.

Abstract: A method for using a processor to process image data received from an image data source in preparation for multipass printing, comprising multitoning the image data to produce a multitoned image, using the multitone level of a pixel in the multitoned image to select a plane of a print mask, using the location of the pixel in the multitoned image to select a cell of output pixels in the selected plane of the print mask, and copying the selected cell of output pixels to corresponding locations within a print buffer.

Abstract: A method and system modify a rasterized digital image to reduce registration artifacts, the image having a black plane and a color plane by determining if a pixel is part of a connected black region and if the pixel is part of a connected color region. It is determined if the pixel is part of a connected black region and a connected color region that are contiguous. A dilation operation is performed on the color plane value of the pixel if the pixel is part of a connected black region and a connected color region that are contiguous.

Abstract: A printing apparatus and a printing method are provided which, even if a print position misalignment occurs between a plurality of print scans during a multipass printing, can minimize density variations in a unit area reliably and stably, thus producing an image without density unevenness. For this purpose, multi-grayscale-level image data is converted into a plurality of dot arrangement patterns that determine individual subpixels either to be printed or not to be printed with a dot. Then, these dot arrangement patterns are printed overlappingly on a print medium in different print scans of the print head. At this time, the plurality of dot arrangement patterns are so arranged that, if these dot arrangement patterns are shifted from one another, a change in the dot-overlapping area ratio will be smaller than when the dots are arranged separately so that they do not overlap one another.

Abstract: Provided is a method of controlling a CMOS-implemented control circuit for operating a micro-electromechanical inkjet nozzle arrangement of a printer. The circuit includes a plurality of sequential shift registers, a transfer register, a firing control gate and a drive transistor. The method includes the steps of transferring data from the shift register to the transfer register, latching the data in said transfer register, activating the firing control gate to arrange a heater element of the nozzle arrangement in electrical communication with a current source to facilitate ink ejection via thermal cavitation of ink in the nozzle.

Abstract: Methods and systems herein provide for reducing artifacts during printing. One printing system is operable to prepare a continuous tone image (CTI) for printing onto a print medium by generating an initial half tone image (HTI) based on the CTI. The printing system includes a printer and a print controller. The print controller filters the initial HTI and the CTI with a perceptual filter and determines an error between the filtered CTI and the filtered HTI. The print controller prints the HTI via the printer to determine printer artifacts and processes a scanned version of the printed HTI to determine an error between the filtered CTI and the scanned and filtered HTI. This processing updates the initial HTI and reduces the error between the filtered CTI and the filtered HTI.

Abstract: Consumable reduction is achieved for a printing device by utilizing a processor (32), memory (34) and software for receiving input information representative of an image to be printed and generating output information representative of a reduced consumable image in response to consumable smear, spatial relationship between adjacent dots and an image quality degradation. Factors such as print medium characteristics, heat or humidity and composure of the consumable are considered in performing the consumable reduction.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus and an inkjet printing method capable of suppressing generation of bronze phenomenon regardless of the color gamut is provided. For this purpose, in multipass printing, there are set more pixels permitted to print by at least one type of achromatic color ink than pixels permitted to print by chromatic color ink in the last print scan to a unit region. Accordingly, it becomes possible to apply achromatic color ink having a high bronze phenomenon reduction effect on the topmost layer of the print medium, and thereby generation of bronze phenomenon can be suppressed without any hue shift.

Abstract: When dot data indicating whether or not a dot is to be formed is formed on the basis of the gradation value for each pixel, dots belonging to a plurality of pixel groups having different printing conditions are printed in a common region in an overlapping manner, and the distribution of dots in the common region has a noise characteristic possessing a peak in the spatial frequency region on the high-frequency side. In a case where first and second pixels belonging to two pixel groups are proximal pixels in the common region in a predetermined gradation range in which probabilities k1 and k2 at which a dot is formed in the first and second pixels are such that k1<0.5 and k2<0.5, a probability K of a dot in both of the proximal pixels is set to be close to k1·k2.

Abstract: A method for reducing banding artifacts for bi-directional multi-pass printing on an inkjet printer utilizing a printhead with a plurality of ink nozzles includes defining different print masks to be used for leftward and rightward printing passes such that both the order of ink laydown and the timing between ink laydown on different passes are each substantially constant for a given horizontal position within the image, independent of the vertical position within the image; and printing an input image on the inkjet printer with the defined print masks using a bi-directional multi-pass print mode.

Abstract: In printing on a material to be printed having fluff, printing with high image quality is performed while maintaining the texture of the fluff. An ink jet printing apparatus has a first printing head having an ink nozzle array for ejecting an ink containing a color material, a second printing head having a clear liquid nozzle array for ejecting a clear liquid not containing a color material and having better wettability to the material to be printed than the ink, and a control portion which controls the ejection of the ink and the clear liquid, in which the control portion has a printing execution mode in which either the ink or the clear liquid is ejected, and thereafter the other one is ejected thereon while the printing heads are relatively moving in one direction over a predetermined range of the material to be printed.

Abstract: A print engine controller for a pagewidth inkjet printer includes an interface for connection to an input data bus to receive page data to be processed prior to printing. A data bus is connected to the interface to communicate data to various circuitry components of the controller. A memory is connected to the data bus and is configured so that as one page is loaded another previously loaded page is read from the memory to permit the controller to act in a double-buffered manner. A print engine pipeline is connected to the data bus and is configured to read the page data from the memory and process the page data into a form suitable for printing by the pagewidth inkjet printer.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a multiple value conversion device which carries out quantization processing of original image data having multiple tones (M values) to convert the original image data to image data of N values having fewer tones than the original image data (where M and N are integers satisfying M>N?2), wherein: the recording head has a two-dimensional nozzle arrangement where the nozzle rows are arranged in a first direction which is a direction of the relative movement between the recording head and the recording medium, and the multiple value conversion device generates the image data of N values representing a dot pattern having blue noise characteristics in the first direction and green noise characteristics in a second direction which is a direction perpendicular to the first direction on the recording medium to achieve tonal representation based on the dot pattern having these frequency characteristics.

Abstract: A recording apparatus configured to cause a recording head to move and scan in a reciprocating manner includes a buffer configured to store raster data including multivalued data, a table in which a plurality of dot patterns is defined for a value of the multivalued data and including a dot pattern corresponding to the value, a first information storage unit configured to store an initial value of the dot pattern according to a direction of scanning by the recording head and the value of the multivalued data, a second information storage unit configured to store information indicating an empty raster, and a generation unit configured to, based on the initial value stored by the first information storage unit and the table, read the multivalued data from the buffer and generate a dot pattern based on the read multivalued data.

Abstract: A method of forming an image by an image forming apparatus provided with a print head having plural nozzles, wherein the print head has an overlapping area whose print area overlaps a print area of a physically adjacent print head, or has an overlapping area whose print area overlaps an adjacent scan line on a print sheet surface, includes an image forming step of forming an image by the print head, wherein the image forming step includes a control step of controlling in a variable manner an amount of ink sprayed from a proximity nozzle situated in close proximity of the overlapping area, the proximity nozzle being one of the nozzles situated in a non-overlapping area outside the overlapping area.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes: a recording head having a plurality of recording elements; a conveyance device which conveys at least one of the recording head and a recording medium; a recording defect information acquisition device which acquires recording defect information; a recording defect correction device which corrects an image defect caused by the recording element having a recording defect; an image reading apparatus which reads in an image of a test chart for density measurement recorded by the recording head; a recording density information acquisition device which acquires recording density information indicating recording density of the plurality of recording elements; a density correction information calculation device which calculates density correction information; a density correction device which corrects density of image data; an uncorrected recording defect information acquisition device which acquires uncorrected recording defect information; and a recording density information

Abstract: A droplet discharge device includes a plurality of discharge heads configured and arranged to discharge droplets toward a plurality of pattern film formation regions disposed on a substrate with the pattern film formation regions including at least one narrow pattern film formation region that is narrower than the other pattern film formation regions. A number of the discharge heads corresponding to the narrow pattern film formation region is greater than a number of the discharge heads corresponding to one of the pattern film formation regions having an area that is larger than that of the narrow pattern film formation region.

Abstract: Color material recording amount determination unit configured to determine a color material recording amount data according to a gradation value and colorless material recording amount calculation unit configured to determine, according to the color material recording amount data, a base colorless material recording amount data of a colorless material that is recorded as a base of the color material are included.

Abstract: Desired designated sections are selectively extracted from a color image to be printed, the extracted designated sections are converted into a solid black image having a high thermal energy absorbency, and the solid black image is printed on the foaming layer surface of a supplied thermal expansion sheet. Next, thermal energy is applied by a halogen lamp in a thermal expansion processing unit, causing the solid black image section to expand and rise. Furthermore, in an ink jet printer unit, a prescribed color that is a background color is printed on the entire foaming layer surface of the thermal expansion sheet including the raised sections. Furthermore, the color image to be printed is printed thereon by an ink jet recording method to obtain color image three-dimensional printed material.

Abstract: While a conveying error of a roller depends on the eccentricity of the roller, the amount and the state of the eccentricity sometimes makes the roller have different conveying errors from one point in the longitudinal direction of the roller to another. There is provided a construction for obtaining a correction value that is suitable for the correction of the conveying error even in such a case as described above. To this end, plural test patterns are formed in the longitudinal direction of the roller. Then, a suitable correction value for correcting the conveying error that depends on the eccentricity of the roller is obtained on the basis of these test patterns.

Abstract: A multipass printing method includes determining at the end of a printing pass if at least some dot depositing elements of at least one printhead require a servicing operation. In case the determination is positive, the method includes printing at least one incomplete printing pass in which at least the dot depositing elements of the at least one printhead that require a servicing operation are not operated to print. At the end of the incomplete printing pass, the method includes servicing at least the dot depositing elements of the at least one printhead and printing at least one compensating printing pass, which adds to the information to be printed in the compensating printing pass at least part of the information that failed to be printed by the dot depositing elements of the at least one printhead in the at least one incomplete printing pass.

Abstract: To enable the printing in which it is difficult for the dot to stand out and it is difficult for the gradation sequence properties to be degraded. Therefore, among plural dots each having a different size, the binary processing is carried out by using the same first dot arrangement pattern in regard to the large and medium-sized dots and the binary processing is carried out by using a dot arrangement pattern different from the first dot arrangement pattern in regard to the small-sized dots.

Abstract: To minimize deterioration in the dispersion of dots in an overlapping region between heads, a fluid-ejecting device includes: (A) a first nozzle column having first nozzles for ejecting a fluid; (B) a second nozzle column having second nozzles for ejecting a fluid and arranged to form an overlapping region in which an end portion toward one end in the predetermined direction overlaps an end portion at another end of the first nozzle column; and (C) a controller for ejecting a fluid from the first nozzle column and the second nozzle column in accordance with dot data indicating a dot size converted from inputted image data and ejecting the fluid from the second nozzles in the overlapping region in accordance with dot data obtained from a halftone process performed after multiplying the usage rate of the second nozzle column by incidence rate data for each of the dot sizes.

Abstract: A headchip and a head of an array type inkjet printer. The headchip of the array type inkjet printer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept includes an ink supply unit which is arranged into first nozzle groups and second nozzle groups according to colors, and a power supply unit to supply power to the plurality of first and second nozzle groups in an alternate order, in which the first and second nozzle groups for one color and the first and second nozzle groups for another color closest in proximity to the one color, are connected using one power line. Accordingly, a voltage drop may be avoided when the plurality of nozzles are driven at the same time.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus has low intensity ink ejection parts for ejecting low intensity ink, and a high intensity ink ejection part for ejecting high intensity ink. With respect to a direction orthogonal to a moving direction of printing paper, a pitch of outlets in the high intensity ink ejection part is larger than that in the low intensity ink ejection part. Thus, manufacturing cost of the apparatus is reduced. With respect to each gray level in a middle grayscale range, if a tint image is recorded with the high intensity ink, a spatial frequency of this tint image is lower than that of a tint image recorded with the low intensity ink. By the above image recording control, even if the high intensity ink ejection part includes an abnormal outlet where a flight direction of droplet is abnormal, streak unevenness in a color halftone image can be suppressed.

Abstract: A printing method and a printing apparatus of the present invention are capable of performing both a vertical registration adjustment in which a range of nozzles used for printing is limited and a vertical registration adjustment in which print data is shifted. More specifically, switching is performed between the vertical registration adjustment in which a range of nozzles used for printing is limited and the vertical registration adjustment in which print data is shifted, in accordance with conditions such as a printing mode, types of printing medium, and the like. Thereby, an improvement of a throughput by a printing apparatus and an improvement of an image quality printed by the printing apparatus can be together achieved.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording head configured to scan a recording medium and record an image on the recording medium. The recording apparatus includes a recording buffer to store image data representing one pixel with a plurality of bits, a reading unit to read, from a storage area of the recording buffer, image data corresponding to a region including a boundary between two regions recorded on the recording medium in successive scanning and recording operations, a thinning unit to thin out image data based on a thinning rate corresponding to the image data read by the reading unit, a storage unit to store image data thinned out by the thinning unit in the storage area of the recording buffer, a quantization unit to perform quantization processing on the image data stored in the recording buffer when the image data is transferred to the recording head, and a recording unit to perform recording based on the image data quantized by the quantization unit.

Abstract: There is provided a droplet ejection device including: a droplet ejection unit that successively ejects plural droplets within a pre-specified driving cycle and is capable of causing the plural droplets to aggregate and impact; and a control section that controls application to the droplet ejection unit of driving waveforms among plural driving waveforms that are each capable of ejecting a droplet from the droplet ejection unit, which are generated within the pre-specified driving cycle, such that the driving waveforms that are applied include at least one driving waveform generated at a pre-specified later period in the driving cycle.

Abstract: To suppress misalignment of a line formation position resulting from main scans being performed with different timings. A printer is made to perform a printing action of acquiring image data, printing a line during an Nth (N being a natural number of 2 or more) main scan between other lines printed during an N?1th main scan and earlier main scans, and printing a print unit made of a plurality of lines in Nmax (Nmax being the maximum value of N) main scans; and print data is created based on the image data, the print data controlling the amount of ink discharged from the print head so that the amount of ink discharged based on the same tone value of the image data is greater in the Nmaxth main scan than in the Nmax?1th main scan and earlier main scans and causing the printer to print an image indicated by the image data, the print data being generated based on the image data.

Abstract: A method is disclosed. The method includes performing a first print pass to print a first data point on a medium using a first set of ink jet nozzles and performing a second print pass to print the first data point on the medium with a second set of ink jet nozzles.

Abstract: Provided are a data processing method and a data processor for ink jet printing, which are capable of achieving uniform and high-quality images while stabilizing density and color development in each of pixels. To this end, a mask pattern for setting permission and non-permission to print dots in each area is arranged non-periodically by using an integral multiple of m×n areas as one unit. The m×n areas allow one pixel to be expressed in half-tone. Thereby, density in the pixel is stable since a plurality of dots printed in the same pixel are printed approximately in the same event. Moreover, since each of the units (clusters) is non-periodically arranged, a uniform image can be obtained.

Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing apparatus which performs a plurality of times of scans by a print head on a predetermined region and completes printing of the predetermined region by ejecting ink from the print head by the plurality of times of the scans, comprising generating means for performing a mask process in use of a mask to binary data of each of pixels constituting an image to be printed on the predetermined region to generate ejection data used in each of the plurality of times of the scans, wherein the mask assigns the binary data showing printing for each pixel to a plurality of times of scans among the plurality of times of the scans completing the printing to generate the ejection data for each scan of the pixel.

Abstract: Methods and systems herein provide for allowing color profiles for printers to be determined based on the types of print engines installed at the printer and the types of colorants installed at the printer. In one embodiment, a printing system including a printer is disclosed. The printer comprises a colorant system, a print engine system, and a print controller. The colorant system identifies a type of colorant installed at the printer for printing to a physical media. The print engine system identifies a type of print engine installed at the printer for printing to the media using the colorant. The print controller receives a request for the type of colorant installed at the printer and the type of print engine installed at the printer to allow for a determination of a color profile for the printer.