Abstract: A system and related method for selectively printing color content of a page with a reduced color gamut are provided. The system includes a detection module, a printing mode module, and a conversion module. The detection module is configured to detect a color object in the page and the printing mode module exists in at least one mode. The conversion module can selectively convert the detected color object to a converted reduced-colorant object in accordance with the existence of the at least one mode of the printing mode module.

Abstract: A method for forming a variable data job includes a fixed original image provided by original image data in a first multiple channel color plane and content provided by variable image data in a second multiple channel color plane. The original image data is converted to fixed image data in a clear channel color plane. Raster image processing is performed on the fixed image data to translate the fixed image data into a first ready-to-print file. The ready-to-print file is saved in a memory as a post-RIP file. The variable image data is subsequently provided in at least the second multiple channel color plane. Image processing is performed on the variable image data to obtain a second ready-to-print file. The post-RIP file is merged with the second ready-to-print file for forming the variable data job. The variable data job is printed to render output.

Abstract: A method for improving gloss of a print includes configuring a printing system to deposit ink drops from a plurality of inks in an ink set onto a print surface. During the depositing, the printing system is further configured to control micro-coalescence of the ink drops. The micro-coalescence is controlled by i) depositing the ink drops onto the print surface according to a predefined order of color based upon solids content, ii) adjusting a number of printing passes, iii) adjusting a delay time between the printing passes, and/or iv) depositing different amounts of the ink drops onto the print surface during different printing passes.

Abstract: Dots with metallic ink are formed in an arrangement in which an average of distances between dots with the metallic dots is shorter than an average of distances between dots with color ink. The “distance between dots with the color ink” indicates a distance from a color dot to be focused to one color dot at the closest position thereto. The same holds true for the metallic ink.

Abstract: A liquid jet head has an actuator with grooves arranged on a surface of a substrate. The actuator is configured to discharge liquid from nozzles communicating with respective ones of the grooves. A flow path member supplies the liquid to the grooves of the actuator. A damper member is provided between the actuator and the flow path member for coupling the actuator and the flow path member to each other. The damper member is bonded with an adhesive to each of the actuator and the flow path member.

Abstract: There is provided a method of printing a regular array of rows of subpixels on a workpiece. The subpixels have c different colors and have a subpixel pitch s. A printing head has z nozzles arranged in a row with a spacing p, where z=n1(c) and p=(c?1)(s), the printhead being at a first position relative to the workpiece. There are c different printing inks, one for each of the c colors, and each of the printing inks is supplied to the nozzles in a regular alternating pattern. The method includes steps of printing a first set of z rows of subpixels with the printing head; moving the workpiece laterally relative to the printing head by a distance d1, where d1=z(s); printing a second set of z rows of subpixels with the printing head; repeating the printing steps n2 times for a total of n2+2 sets of z rows of subpixels. Variables include: c, an integer greater than 1; n1, an integer greater than 0, with the proviso that when c is an odd number, then n1 is an odd number; and n2, an integer greater than 0.

Abstract: A method and system is disclosed for characterizing a color scanner comprising generating a halftone-independent target of color patches, printing the target on a color hardcopy device, measuring the target to obtain device-independent color values, scanning the target to obtain scanner color values, and building a scanner profile that relates scanned color values to device-independent color values.

Abstract: Improved output quality of a printer used in UV curable ink jet printing is achieved by minimizing or eliminating a print artifact referred to as gloss banding or tire tracking. A same or a similar number of nozzles as used in conventional printers is used to achieve a desired throughput, but the nozzles are arranged so that any given square inch of substrate to which ink is being applied receives a lower amount of ink. A longer effective print head is provided by arranging the print heads into a longer array, where the print heads are butted substantially end-to-end. As a result, the net throughput of the printer is the same as that of a conventional printer because the printer uses the same number of print heads, but the amount of ink that is applied to any given square inch is less on a pass.

Abstract: An inkjet printer with a printing bed for displacing a print medium in a forward feed direction and a print head carriage disposed above the printing bed for displacing at least one print head unit in a transverse feed direction, a print head unit with at least one print head being provided for every color to be printed, each print head having at least one nozzle row oriented in the forward feed direction of the print medium. The nozzles of the at least one nozzle row of the print head unit are disposed offset from one another by a nozzle distance D by reference to the forward feed direction. Another print head unit is provided, which has nozzles in at least one nozzle row disposed offset from one another by a second nozzle distance d by reference to the forward feed direction of the print medium, the ratio derived from the nozzle distance D and the second nozzle distance d being a rational number and greater than 1.

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: A method of printing an image comprises sending a data stream representing the image to a printer driver, generating a stream of print instructions at the printer driver, forwarding the stream of print instructions to a printer, and printing the image in accordance with the print instructions. The data stream or stream of print instructions is intercepted and processed so that the printer uses less ink to print the image than it would if the processing was not performed.

Abstract: Characteristic data representing the metallic luster characteristic of each of a plurality of kinds of printing materials to be used by a printing apparatus is acquired. On the basis of a stimulus value represented by the acquired characteristic data corresponding to each of the plurality of kinds of printing materials, an overlay order is determined to form an image on the printing medium by overlaying a printing material having a smaller stimulus value on a printing material having a large stimulus value. The print data is generated in accordance with the determined overlay order.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead includes: a first row of longitudinally spaced apart first printhead segments, each first printhead segment having a plurality of nozzle rows configured for ejecting a plurality of different colored inks; and a second row of longitudinally spaced apart second printhead segments, the second row being parallel with the first row, each second printhead segment having a plurality of nozzle rows configured for ejecting a plurality of different colored inks The first and second printhead segments overlap in a media feed direction transverse to the first and second rows so as to provide seamless printing across a width of the printhead.

Abstract: This presents an image processing apparatus and an image processing method which print and output image data subjected to halftone processing with an appropriate density characteristic. The image processing apparatus generates a halftone image from a multi-value image using a threshold value arrangement, and generates a difference image between the generated halftone image and a second halftone image having the density characteristic different from that of the generated halftone image. The image processing apparatus stores the generated halftone image and the generated difference image.

Abstract: Provided are bitmap based trapping methods, apparatus and systems. According to one exemplary method, black trapping color image data is performed by estimating the continuous tone values associated with non-black pixels near a qualified black pixel and subsequently, the estimated continuous tone values are halftoned at the qualified black pixel locations and ORed with the original bitmap data.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: a first nozzle for ejecting clear ink to form a first dot; and a second nozzle for ejecting color ink to form a second dot, wherein, when forming a color image on a photoluminescent ground layer by means of the second dot, the first dot is formed at an area where the color image does not exist.

Abstract: A method for modifying an input digital image having three color channels, to form a modified digital image suitable for use by an inkjet printer having reduced ink bleed artifacts comprising computing a transformed digital image containing at least a black color channel and a color dependent scale factor channel, computing a filtered black color channel using a convolution operation, and forming the modified digital image in response to the corresponding pixel values of the color dependent scale factor channel and the filtered black color channel, so that when the modified digital image is used to produce a printed image on an inkjet printer there are reduced ink bleed artifacts.

Abstract: After a gloss-based liquid is ejected from a liquid ejection head, which ejects liquid from nozzles of a nozzle row, to a predetermined position on a landing target to form a glossy layer, a white-based liquid is ejected onto the glossy layer to form a white layer, the ejection amount of the gloss-based liquid being greater than the ejection amount of the white-based liquid.

Abstract: A liquid drop discharge device provides a head unit 420 which discharges filter element material relative to each of various colors of color filters. The head unit 420 is composed of an ink jet heads which are arranged on one end of a print substrate plate having a shape of rectangular card and head devices 433 which are arranged on the other end of the print substrate plate comprising connectors 441. The head devices 433 are aligned in two rows, as two groups, in a staggered arrangement so that a portion on which the connectors 441 are aligned in one of the two rows does not face to the same portion of the other in the two rows and protrudes outside of the print substrate plate. The head unit 420 discharges the filter element material onto predetermined portions in a superimposing manner while shifting along a direction which intersects to a direction along which the head devices 433 are arranged.

Abstract: Two arrays of ejection openings which eject relatively large amounts of ink are provided for each of different color inks and are disposed at symmetrical positions in the order of colors in a direction corresponding to a record scan. In addition, a single array of ejection openings which eject relatively small amounts of ink is disposed for at least one color ink. Since the symmetrical disposition in the color order of the ejection opening arrays which eject large amounts of ink prevents color unevenness from appearing even when the bidirectional recording is performed. Since the single array is formed of the ejection openings which eject small amount of ink, and which is used for highly precise recording, it is possible to avoid image deterioration due to the shift of dot formed positions, even when the recording head is mounted in an inclined manner attributable to the variation in manufacturing.

Abstract: An inkjet printer includes an inkjet printhead having a plurality of color planes for ejecting a plurality of different inks. Each color plane has a nozzle row defined in a nozzle face of the printhead and each nozzle in a respective color plane is supplied with a same ink. The printhead is plumbed such that a first color plane ejecting a first ink having a relatively low luminance is sandwiched between second and third color planes ejecting respective second and third inks having a relatively high luminance A plurality of ink reservoirs are in fluid communication with the printhead, the ink reservoirs containing the first, second and third inks. An amount of surfactant in the first ink is at least 0.4 wt % greater than an amount of surfactant in the second and third inks.

Abstract: A liquid body discharge device includes: a plurality of nozzles for discharging a liquid body to a liquid body discharged region of a substrate; and a plurality of heads including the plurality of nozzles. In the device, the liquid body is discharged to the liquid body discharged region of the substrate by moving one of the substrate and the plurality of heads. Further, an alignment direction of the plurality of nozzles provided to at least one of the plurality of heads is different from an alignment direction of the plurality of nozzles provided to a rest of the plurality of heads. Furthermore, the at least one of the heads moves in a moving path A and the rest of the plurality of heads moves in a moving path B that is a different moving path from the moving path A.

Abstract: A method of using an inkjet printer to print an input digital image containing at least one color channel having a plurality of rows and columns of pixels sampled at a first resolution, each pixel having a code value, includes partitioning the input digital image into a set of spatially non-overlapping blocks; computing an average code value for each block responsive to the pixels in the input digital image that correspond to the block; computing an image quality score for each block responsive to the average code value for that block; determining a print mode in response to the image quality scores for the set of blocks; and printing the image on the inkjet printer using the print mode.

Abstract: Improved output quality of a printer used in UV curable ink jet printing is achieved by minimizing or eliminating a print artifact referred to as gloss banding or tire tracking. A same or a similar number of nozzles as used in conventional printers is used to achieve a desired throughput, but the nozzles are arranged so that any given square inch of substrate to which ink is being applied receives a lower amount of ink. A longer effective print head is provided by arranging the print heads into a longer array, where the print heads are butted substantially end-to-end. As a result, the net throughput of the printer is the same as that of a conventional printer because the printer uses the same number of print heads, but the amount of ink that is applied to any given square inch is less on a pass.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which forms a halftone image on a print medium by using a multipass process to scan a printhead N (N is an integer of 2 or more) times in a single area on the print medium and form dots by each scan operation includes a pass division unit which sets the print density of a scan operation in the first pass so as to prevent dots from overlapping with each other on the print medium, and sets the print densities of scan operations in the second to Nth passes, a tone reduction unit which generates print data of the respective scan operations in accordance with the print densities set by the pass division unit, and a printhead which prints a halftone image on a print medium on the basis of the print data generated by the tone reduction unit.

Abstract: When color measurement is performed, a printer driver of a host apparatus 150 transmits a job start command “JS” to a printer 10, then performs printing instruction (print data transmission for color measurement printing), color measurement instruction, reception of a color measurement result (color measurement data) from a color measuring device (a color meter 41 and a color measurement driving device 80), label printing instruction, job information storage instruction, and positioning instruction, and subsequently transmits a job end command “JE” to the printer 10. During a period from the job start command “JS” until the job end command “JE” is received, a communication connect between the printer 10 and the host apparatus 150 is maintained while an interrupt from other than the host apparatus 150 is inhibited.

Abstract: A method enables changes in the operation of a web printing system in response to web dimensional changes being detected. The method includes identifying a cross-process dimensional change in a web moving through a printing system, comparing the identified cross-process dimensional change to a predetermined threshold, and changing operation of a component in the web printing system in response to the cross-process dimensional change exceeding the predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A printhead is provided having an assembly of printhead modules. Each printhead module has a support defining fluid chambers, a fluid distributor on the support, and an integrated circuit on the distributor so that fluid in the chambers is distributed to the fluid ejection nozzles of the integrated circuit by the distributor. The support and distributor of each printhead module are shaped to define complementary formations on opposite sides of that printhead module so that the printhead modules are mated together in an angled fashion with the integrated circuits of the mated printhead modules abutting together and diagonally overlapping to define at least one row of fluid ejection nozzles of the printhead.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for managing resource consumption during print production. The method discloses receiving a print job and a set of print job constraints; calculating a set of printing resources required to produce a print job output from the print job according to the set of print job constraints; measuring a set of available printing resources; producing the print job output from the print job, if the required printing resources are less than the available printing resources; and identifying a set of fall-back print job constraints and repeating the calculating and producing steps using the fall-back constraints, if the required printing resources are greater than the available printing resources. The system discloses various modules for effecting the method and including: a processor, a color transformation module, a printing resource module, a printing module, and a print job dialog module.

Abstract: A printing device and method for printing surfaces of material panels, especially wood panels, with a multi-color image, including: means for holding a material panel in a oriented position; a printing unit for printing a surface of the material panel, the printing unit comprising a plurality of adjacently arranged printing heads, respectively for a plurality of colors, according to the width of the surface to be printed; means for moving the printing unit along an area of displacement over the surface of the material panel held in place; and means for preventing air turbulences in the area of displacement of the printing unit. Air turbulences in the path of displacement of the printing unit, along the edges of the material panel, are prevented by the passage of air guiding devices.

Abstract: In a method for printing on a substrate, in particular a textile substrate, with the aid of an inkjet printing device, a print image to be printed is constructed by drop-by-drop deposition of one or more ink fluids in picture elements which together form the print image, an ink fluid comprising at least one predetermined concentration of at least one dye in a main solvent. The method includes for this purpose the following steps: (a) the determination of the color value of a picture element from the print image, (b) the determination of one or more dye-comprising ink fluids, in dependence on the determined color value, (c) the determination of colorless transport fluid to be applied to the picture element, in dependence on the determined color value, (d) the determination of a colorless auxiliary fluid, comprising rheology-modifying agents, in dependence on the determined color value, and (e) the application of the ink fluids, the transport fluid and the auxiliary fluid to the picture element.

Abstract: A printing method includes applying at least one of a plurality of pigmented colored inks to a receiving surface. A colorless ink is applied to the receiving surface. A majority of the colorless ink is ejected from of first nozzles on a printhead used for ejecting the colorless ink. At least 30% of an area on the receiving surface, which is passed over by the first nozzles, is covered with the colorless ink during a single pass of the printhead over the area.

Abstract: A drawing device includes a carriage, a base configured and arranged to mount a substrate, and a movement device configured and arranged to move the substrate and the carriage relative to each other in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction. The carriage includes a plurality of types of droplet ejection head units and a plurality of ink-curing light irradiation sections. The droplet ejection head units are configured and arranged to respectively eject a plurality of types of photo-curing inks onto the substrate with the droplet ejection head units being aligned along a direction intersecting the second direction at a predetermined pitch. The ink-curing light irradiation sections are respectively disposed in positions adjacent to both sides of each of the droplet ejection head units in the second direction, and configured and arranged to cure the photo-curing inks.

Abstract: A printer includes first and second ejecting sections of which positions of nozzles are different from each other in a sub scanning direction, and an ejecting section group. The ejecting section group includes first and second individual ejecting sections of which the positions of the nozzles are same in the sub scanning direction. When a frequency of ejecting the liquid using the first and second ejecting sections and the first and second individual ejecting sections are Ra, Rb, Rc and Rd, the first mode in which Ra:Rb:Rc:Rd is 1:1:1:0, a second mode in which Ra:Rb:Rc:Rd is 1:1:0:1 and a third mode in which Ra:Rb:Rc:Rd is 1:1:0.5:0.5 are selected on the basis of the residual amounts of the ink.

Abstract: One of the two flow passages branches from one of two ink cartridges to one of the two discharging portions and one of the two individual discharging portions. The other flow passage branches from the other ink cartridge to the other discharging portion and the other individual discharging portion. A ratio of frequency of use of each of the discharging portions, Ra, and frequency of use of each of the individual discharging portions, Rb, satisfies Ra:Rb=1:½.

Abstract: A liquid droplet discharge apparatus includes a head member. The head member is provided with a nozzle surface, a plurality of nozzle arrays including a first nozzle array and a second nozzle array is arranged on the nozzle surface, the nozzle array includes a plurality of nozzle holes which are arranged in a predetermined pattern, the first nozzle array discharges a pigment ink which contains water and a pigment, the second nozzle array discharges a dye ink which contains water and a dye, and the relationship between the conductivity [E1 (mS/cm)] of the pigment ink and the conductivity [E2 (mS/cm)] of the dye ink is expressed by the formula 0<(E2?E1)?3.

Abstract: To provide an inkjet head which includes high-density nozzle rows and which does not easily cause an ejection failure due to adhesion of ink mist around ejection orifices when a high-density image of a secondary color is printed with a small number of paths. An inkjet head includes at least two or more types of nozzle rows that eject different amounts of ink. When A is the cross section, with respect to an ink supplying direction, of an ink supply path from each ejection orifice to a supply port and L is the length of the ink supply path, the value of A/L differs between the two or more types of nozzle rows. The nozzle row of which the value of A/L is small is disposed outside an area between the nozzle rows that eject a largest amount of ink and that are arranged next to each other.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus is provided which can print images with no print quality variations. For this purpose, the fluid viscosity resistances between the print head and the print medium beneath respective nozzle arrays that occur as the print head moves in the forward direction are made equal to those that occur as the print head moves in the backward direction.

Abstract: The present invention relates to measures for preventing end deviation that may occur during high-duty printing such as one-pass printing, and in particular, to measures for preventing density unevenness (white stripes) in the case of ink with a low lightness such as black ink. According to the present invention, the amount of black ink ejected through the corresponding ejection ports is set to be larger than that of color ink ejected through the corresponding ejection ports. Two black ink ejection chips each having at least one black ink ejection port row are arranged on the respective sides of a color ink ejection chip.

Abstract: A printing apparatus and a printing method are provided by which, when an image is printed by a plurality of printing modes using different printing elements, a plurality of printing elements can have an equalized use frequency to thereby maintain the uniformity of quality of the printed image. In a first multipath printing control, a use rate of a nozzle group that is not used in the first multipath printing control and that is used in a second multipath printing control is higher than that of a nozzle group that is used in the first and second multipath printing controls.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing an image are provided that can suppress blur edges at an edge portion of a character so that sharpness and quality of the image can be improved. The apparatus comprises an inside and outside edge discrimination portion for discriminating whether a target pixel to be processed belongs to an inside edge or to an outside edge, a threshold value generating portion for selecting a threshold value from plural threshold values for error diffusion process in accordance with an area discriminated by the inside and outside edge discrimination portion to output the selected threshold value and an error diffusion process portion for performing the error diffusion process for multilevel input data concerning the target pixel by utilizing the threshold value generated by the threshold value generating portion so as to produce output data whose gradation steps are reduced.

Abstract: A system for creating a three dimensional printed structure having a plurality of layers. The system includes a plurality of printheads arranged to print voxels of material so as to define respective layers of the structure, a robot for inserting objects into voids created in the structure during printing, and a conveyance for conveying a substrate past the printheads such that the printed structure is created on the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention is used for a printing target having a non-flat surface portion in at least a portion of a printing surface. To form a decorative printing film on the printing surface of a base material, ink droplets of the same color as the color of the printing film are ejected from nozzles of an inkjet printer onto the printing surface. The distance from the nozzles to the printing surface is represented by X (mm). The droplet amount of the ink is represented by Y (pl). When the maximum value of the distance X is greater than 5 mm, the droplets are ejected from the nozzles each by an amount greater than the droplet amount Y represented by the equation: Y=0.9X1.5.

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 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: The present invention discloses an image processing controller includes: a pixel number determining unit determining the number of print pixels included in the pixel block based on a gradation of a pixel of the pre-conversion image data; a print pixel location unit filling the pixel block with the print pixels in the rows or columns and executing a first location mode where the print image becoming a fraction in the row or column is drawn in a random direction or a second location mode where the print image becoming the fraction in the row or column is drawn near to the circumjacent pixel block having a larger number of print pixels; and a switching unit switching between the first and second location modes to be executed by the print pixel location unit based on predetermined information possessed by the pre-conversion image data.

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: An inkjet recording apparatus includes: a treatment liquid deposition device which deposits a treatment liquid insolubilizing or aggregating inks of a plurality of colors, onto a recording medium; a recording head which has a plurality of nozzles ejecting the inks onto the recording medium on which the treatment liquid has been deposited; a data acquisition device which acquires density data of an image with respect to each color, the density data corresponding to the plurality of colors; a higher-order color correction device which corrects the density data, wherein when the inks of different colors are ejected in ejection order so that a preceding ink ejected precedingly to form a lower layer and a subsequent ink ejected subsequently to form an upper layer overlap each other, the higher-order color correction device corrects the density data for a nozzle ejecting the subsequent ink according to the density data for a nozzle ejecting the preceding ink; and an ejection controller which controls ejection of th

Abstract: A printhead integrated circuit including a MEMS layer having a plurality of nozzle assemblies and a CMOS layer having control circuitry. Each nozzle assembly includes a heater element for ejecting ink and sensing a temperature of the nozzle assembly. The control circuitry modifies operation of the heater elements in response to a sensed temperature exceeding a predetermined threshold.