Abstract: The present invention provides a mask for divided printing that completes an image by plural scans using inks of different plural inks, the mask being able to suppress possible grains during printing to reduce image degradation resulting from beading. If for example, among the print permitting pixels for which the total repulsive potential is to be calculated, a print permitting pixel Do has the highest total repulsive potential, changes in repulsive potential after movement of the pixels are determined and the print permitting pixel Do is moved to a pixel having the lowest total repulsive potential after the movement. This processing is repeated to enable a reduction in the total energy of the entire plane. Consequently, the print permitting pixels are appropriately dispersed in overlapping plane masks so as to have few low frequency components.

Abstract: The pagewidth inkjet printer provides for simultaneous printing across a horizontal portion of a sheet of paper, as opposed to horizontal scanning of a conventional inkjet printer. The pagewidth inkjet printer includes a platen for incrementally translating a page of paper and a controller for selectively driving rotation of the platen. A housing is mounted adjacent to the platen and is fixed with respect thereto. A plurality of print heads are mounted within the housing. Each print head has a plurality of nozzles for selectively ejecting ink, and each nozzle is adapted for ejecting a distinct color of ink. The plurality of nozzles of each print head are aligned in a direction parallel to a direction of translation of the page of paper. The plurality of print heads are arrayed and aligned linearly along a direction orthogonal to the direction of translation of the page of paper.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head includes at least three nozzle array groups, each including at least two nozzle arrays with an ink supply port interposed therebetween and each ejecting a different ink. Opening areas of the ejection outlets of the nozzle arrays in each array group are of different sizes. Two adjacent nozzle array groups each include three nozzle arrays. The nozzle array group not identified as one of the two adjacent nozzle array groups is supplied with ink having a highest lightness among the three kinds of inks.

Abstract: A modular printhead assembly includes a substrate member. A plurality of printhead modules is fastened to the substrate member. Each printhead module includes a layered structure through which at least differently colored inks are fed. The layered structure has at least a lower layer, a middle layer and a top layer, with the lower layer defining a number of channels in fluid communication with respective ink supplies, the middle layer defining a number of openings in fluid communication with the channels, and the top layer defining a number of channels on a bottom side and openings in a top side in fluid communication with the channels. A micro-electromechanical printhead integrated circuit is mounted on the layered structure. The printhead integrated circuit has a plurality of micro-electromechanical nozzles arranged on a silicon layer. The silicon layer defines a plurality of ink channels for feeding ink to the nozzles, the openings in the top layer being substantially aligned with the ink channels.

Abstract: A printhead for an inkjet printer. The printhead comprising a wafer assembly defining a plurality of ink supply channels; and plural groups of ink ejection nozzle arrangements extending from the wafer assembly, each group of ink ejection nozzle arrangements sharing a common ink supply channel. Each group of ink ejection nozzle arrangements includes a plurality of ink ejection nozzle arrangements arranged in a pair of rows. Each group of ink ejection nozzles includes one ink spread restriction wall shared by the group, the ink spread restriction wall being interposed between each ink ejection nozzle of the group and so as to at least partially surround each ink ejection nozzle of the group. The shared ink spread restriction wall is spaced apart from each ink ejection nozzle arrangement to define a plurality of ink spread restriction pits between the common ink spread restriction wall and respective ink ejection nozzle arrangements.

Abstract: A head unit comprises: first and second heads, each having an ink ejecting face including a nozzle group, the nozzle group including plural nozzle rows extending in a first direction and arranged in a second direction orthogonal, each nozzle row including a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink arranged along the first direction at a predetermined interval; and a holder for holding the first and second heads. Each of the nozzle groups of the first and second heads includes a rectangular region in which the plurality of nozzles are arranged apart at a predetermined distance in the first direction to form a rectangular shape. The first and second heads are held by the holder in parallel with each other so that the plurality of nozzles included in the rectangular regions of the first and second heads, respectively, are arranged apart at the predetermined distance in the first direction.

Abstract: This specification discloses a computer program product manufacturing method. This method is provided with a forming step, a combining step, and a storing step. The forming step instructs the printer to form a dot at a predetermined coordinate. The combining step creates a combination of the predetermined coordinate and a sub-coordinate which is different from the predetermined coordinate. A distance between the predetermined coordinate and a position of a dot formed when the printer tries to form the dot at the sub-coordinate is shorter than the distance between the predetermined coordinate and the position of the dot formed in the forming step. A storing step stores a computer program into a memory medium. The computer program includes instructions for ordering the computer device to perform a choosing step and a converting step. The choosing step chooses a coordinate from bit-mapped data.

Abstract: In an image processing for printing a monochrome image, color deviation can be suppressed to print a favorable monochrome image. Specifically, the printing of a monochrome image is performed by using black ink in all of a color reproduction region (color gamut) including a gray axis and regions other than the gray axis. This avoids the use of C, M, and Y for the expression of the monochrome image to suppress the color deviation due to slight imbalance among amounts of three colors of inks.

Abstract: A printhead module comprising a plurality of rows, each of the rows comprising a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink, wherein the printhead module includes at least first and second rows configured to print ink of a similar type or color, and being configured such that, in the event a nozzle in the first row is faulty, a corresponding nozzle in the second row prints an ink dot at a position on print media at or adjacent a position where the faulty nozzle would otherwise have printed it.

Abstract: A liquid droplet ejecting apparatus, comprising: a plurality of liquid droplet ejecting heads arranged in parallel to each other, and the liquid droplet ejecting heads having the same liquid droplet ejectable width, and at least one of the liquid droplet ejecting heads being shifted in a widthwise direction of the liquid droplet ejectable width with respect to other liquid droplet ejecting heads, the liquid droplet ejecting apparatus having the following relationship: an image quality assured width<the liquid droplet ejectable width<a liquid droplet ejectable width of the apparatus using all of the plurality of liquid droplet ejecting heads, is provided.

Abstract: By suppressing deviation of dot-formation positions stemming from insufficient accuracy in conveying a printing medium due to eccentricity of a conveying roller, a printed image in which unevenness is less visible is obtained. An accumulated amount of conveyance errors is decreased by narrowing a nozzle-use range and reducing a conveyance amount over an entire printing region according to a mode used for printing an image in which the coverage of a printing medium is low due to a small number of ink colors to be used, for example, a mode used for printing a monochrome image by using a black ink dominantly in all of the density regions.

Abstract: A modular printhead includes a chassis. A plurality of printhead modules is mounted on the chassis. Each module is a sealed unit with a number of independent ink chambers for feeding inkjet nozzles in a printhead integrated circuit. Each printhead module is plugged into a reservoir molding. A self sealing elastomeric strip is interposed between the reservoir molding and the printhead modules. The printhead modules are supplied from the reservoir molding through the elastomeric strip.

Abstract: The image forming method for forming an image on a recording medium, wherein the image is divided into a plurality of regions, the method comprising: a droplet deposition rate calculation step; a dot arrangement specification step of specifying a dot arrangement pattern from the droplet deposition rate; and a droplet deposition control step of controlling droplet deposition operation in such a manner that the dot arrangement pattern specified in the dot arrangement specification step is achieved, wherein, in at least one of the plurality of the regions where the droplet deposition rate is lower than a maximum droplet deposition rate and is higher than a prescribed reference value, a dot line in a main scanning direction substantially perpendicular to the relative conveyance direction is formed in which the dots are continuously aligned so as to mutually overlap by a prescribed overlap ratio, in accordance with the droplet deposition rate.

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: A method for discharging droplets includes: discharging droplets of a plurality of variations of functional liquids by a plurality of discharge heads, on a coated area from a plurality of nozzles installed in each of the discharge heads, while scanning relatively over the coated area provided on a substrate; wherein a location of the nozzles is shifted in an orthogonal direction for each of the discharge heads, the nozzles being installed in an orthogonal direction on both edges whose direction is approximately orthogonal to a scanning direction, and, at the same time, the plurality of nozzles being arranged in each of the discharge heads, so that an overlapped discharge area, where discharge areas of all variations of the functional liquid overlap upon scanning, is formed; and wherein the discharge heads perform scanning so that the overlapped discharge area includes at least part of the coated area that is provided along a side that extends in the scanning direction, when discharging droplets of the functio

Abstract: A recording apparatus for performing recording by scanning a recording head includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire temperature information of the recording head, a generation unit configured to generate a signal that indicates outputting of an output voltage based on the temperature information, a voltage control unit configured to control a voltage to be output to the recording head based on the signal, and a control unit configured to simultaneously perform preliminary ejection processing in an interval between a previous scan and a next scan of the recording head and output processing of the signal.

Abstract: The present invention is a recording method for recording by ejecting liquid onto a medium. The medium is carried in a carrying direction, the medium carried is supported by a protruding section of a support member having a recessed section and the protruding section, and liquid is ejected from nozzles in opposition to the recessed section and the protruding section. Also, with the recording method of the present invention, when recording to a front end in the carrying direction of the medium, the medium is carried to position the front end between the recessed section and nozzles in opposition to the recessed section, and liquid is ejected from nozzles in opposition to the recessed section and nozzles in opposition to the protruding section. This recording method allows recording to be performed quickly and without making peripheral areas dirty when recording to the front end of a medium without creating margins.

Abstract: A method for modifying an input digital image having one or more color channels corresponding to one or more color inks and a protective ink channel corresponding to a substantially clear protective ink, each channel having an (x,y) array of pixel values, to form a modified digital image including computing a first value responsive to corresponding pixel values of the one or more color channels; computing a second value responsive to the corresponding pixel value of the protective ink channel; and modifying the corresponding pixel value of the protective ink channel responsive to the first and second values.

Abstract: A method for controlling a printing position for a printing apparatus for using a plurality of printing heads to print an image is provided. This method prevents, even when a conveyed print medium has deformation such as deflection, a printing position of a print medium from being dislocated. To realize this, components 11 to 14 for detecting the conveyance speed of a print medium and components 101 to 107 adjusting the driving timing at which the respective plurality of printing heads eject ink in accordance with the resultant conveyance speed are provided. As a result, even when a conveyed print medium has deformation such as deflection, the control can be provided that prevents the print medium from having a dislocated printing position.

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: The invention describes 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 colour 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: A recording apparatus including: (a) recording heads for performing a dot recording operation using a recording material that is ejected by activation of actuators; (b) a main circuit for outputting drive waveform signal sets each of which controls ejection of the recording material from a corresponding one of the recording heads; and (c) a head driver unit for receiving the drive waveform signal sets outputted from the main circuit. The head driver has a drive-waveform-signal selector for selecting a drive waveform signal for each actuator of each recording head, from among a corresponding one of the received drive waveform signal sets.

Abstract: An article is marked with image indicia for authentication, information, or decoration by providing a plurality of inks having a plurality of fluorescence colors when exposed to excitation energy, separating colors of the image indicia into a plurality of image levels in accordance with the fluorescence colors of the inks, and printing each image level in mutual registration on the article using the corresponding ink. The image printed with each ink may be substantially invisible under illumination within the visible spectrum. The invisibly printed images have multiple authentication features, including the use of covert UV-fluorescent materials, IR-fluorophores, microparticles, and other chemical taggants. Ink compositions, methods for making the inks, and methods and apparatus for using the inks are also disclosed.

Abstract: A print method that prints visible information by ejecting ink droplets from a print head onto a printed object rotated by a rotational driving unit is provided. The print method includes the steps of: carrying out impact position correction that corrects displacements in impact positions of the ink droplets to convert the visible information to impact position-corrected polar coordinate data when converting the visible information from biaxial perpendicular coordinate data to polar coordinate data; generating ink ejection data based on the impact position-corrected polar coordinate data; and printing the visible information by ejecting the ink droplets onto the printed object based on the ink ejection data.

Abstract: A recording head is operable to eject ink toward a recording medium. A carriage mounting the recording head is operable to carry the recording head in a first direction. At least one infrared ray heater is provided on the carriage so as to oppose the recording medium. An input energy of the infrared ray heater is 60 W or less.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head configured to perform recording by discharging at least two types of ink onto a recording medium while scanning the recording medium. The head includes a first discharge port group and a second discharge port group configured to discharge a first ink, and a third discharge port group and a fourth discharge port group configured to discharge a second ink different from the first ink. The fourth discharge port group discharges a smaller amount of ink at a time from a single discharge port than the third discharge port group, the second discharge port group discharges a smaller amount of ink at a time from a single discharge port than the first discharge port group. The fourth discharge port group discharges a smaller amount of ink at a time from a single discharge port than the first discharge port group, and discharges a larger amount of ink at a time from a single discharge port than the second discharge port group.

Abstract: A handheld printer that provides an appropriate application of ink to a print medium without a bulky and complex mechanical system for positioning a print head with respect to the print medium. A handheld printer according to the present teachings includes a navigation subsystem that tracks a motion of the handheld printer with respect to a printing surface and a print head controller that causes a print head to fire ink drops onto the printing surface in response to the motion and in response to an image contained in an image buffer.

Abstract: A head unit includes a plurality of nozzle groups. Each group has a plurality of nozzles discharging liquid as liquid droplets. The nozzles are arranged at an approximately equal distance from one another when viewed from a first direction. The nozzle groups are arranged at the distance when viewed from the first direction and in a direction intersecting with the first direction, and adjacent nozzles of the nozzle groups adjacent when viewed from the first direction discharge an approximately equal amount of the liquid droplet.

Abstract: Disclosed is a printing apparatus that performs printing by using inks of plural colors including a white color, which includes a first nozzle group that ejects an ink of one color including a white color and at least one color other than the white color, and a second nozzle group that ejects the inks of plural colors. An image formed by the first nozzle group is an undercoat layer or an overcoat layer of an image formed by the second nozzle group.

Abstract: A printer comprises a processor and a printhead. The processor comprises an address, data and control bus; an expander unit and a decoder unit each coupled to the bus and configured respectively to decompress a bi-level black layer and a contone layer of a page to be printed; and a halftoner/compositor unit which is coupled to the bus, and is configured to halftone the decompressed contone layer to form a bi-level cyan, yellow, magenta, and black (CYMK) layer and then composite the decompressed bi-level black layer over the bi-level CYMK layer to form a bi-level CYMK image of the page to be printed The printhead is interfaced to the processor and comprises a plurality of nozzles grouped in pods, the nozzles of a pod sharing a common ink reservoir.

Abstract: A method of printing an image of a three-dimensional object includes printing multiple dots of a colored ink to form an image of the object and printing dots of a transparent ink having a refractive index greater than 1 within the image. The dots of transparent ink local alter the path length of light that shines through the image to create phase variations on the image.

Abstract: The order of the arrangement of ejection opening arrays of two types of ink overlapping in reciprocating scan is decided as follows. An ejection order is decided so that the case where the fixing areas of a main droplet and a satellite are different (dot area is increased) in the forward and backward scan first occurs. By this configuration, the area of the dot and the portion in which different colors are generated due to the difference in the overlapping order in the reciprocating scan can be reduced, compared with the case where the arrangement order is opposite to the above-described case. As a result, a difference in color between areas for which printing is completed by the reciprocating scanning is reduced and thus color unevenness of a printed image can be reduced.

Abstract: An image is output, the image having high quality in which density unevenness due to an end-deviation is excellently reduced in all colors in forming an image with use of a bidirectional inkjet printing head provided with ejection port arrays of a plurality of colors for small droplets of ink. Thereby, distributions of print permission rates of mask patterns to be used in performing a multi-pass printing are made different from each other in accordance with a distance between the two ejection port arrays for the same kind of ink. Thus, the degree of the end-deviation depending on the distance between the two ejection port arrays can be suppressed for every ejection port array.

Abstract: A printing head, having ejection openings arranged symmetric, is to be suppressed from deteriorating in image quality as caused by the manufacturing errors or problems in mounting accuracy thereof. Specifically, in the case the printing head inclines, for example, by 0.5 degrees at the line connecting between the corresponding ejection openings of ejection opening arrays relative to the scanning direction, deviations occur in the dots formed through the ejection opening arrays with reference to the dot formed through other ejection opening array. However, the deviations can be minimized by arranging adjacently small-ejection opening arrays for cyan and magenta with a spacing reduced between those ejection opening arrays.

Abstract: An inkjet printer with a print head carriage is disposed above the printing bed for displacing a 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 and having at least one nozzle row oriented in the forward feed direction of the print medium. Another print head unit is provided for applying white ink, whereby the row length of the color print head unit and the row length of the other print head unit at least partially overlap with one another, and whereby of the nozzles of the nozzle row of the color print head unit, only those nozzles lying outside of the overlap region between the row length of the color print head unit and the row length of the other print head unit activated for applying white ink are activated.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head includes a large nozzle array including a plurality of ejection outlets for ejecting ink and a small nozzle array including a plurality of ejection outlets, each having an opening area smaller than an opening area of ejection outlets of the large nozzle array. The ink jet recording head is mountable to an ink jet recording apparatus which is capable of causing the ink jet recording head to eject ink for a purpose of maintenance of the ink jet recording head without image formation on a recording material, the large nozzle array is supplied with light ink such as yellow, light cyan or light magenta ink, and the small nozzle array is supplied with dark ink such as cyan, magenta or black ink. The number of ejections of the dark ink is greater than the number of ejections of the light ink.

Abstract: Color appearances do not satisfactorily match between recording paper sheets with different gloss characters even using a colorimetric matching process. Hence, the differences between the gloss characters of the recording paper sheets are obtained as correction amounts, and a media profile indicating correspondence between color signals of an image forming apparatus and calorimetric signals corresponding to recording paper is corrected on the basis of the obtained correction amounts.

Abstract: A droplet ejecting apparatus includes a stage which holds a substrate; R (red), G (green), and B (blue) head groups for ejecting droplets of the R, G, and B colors, respectively, each of the head groups including at least one head; and a carriage which holds the R, G, and B head groups. In the apparatus, droplets of the R, G, and B colors are ejected to R, G, and B colored portions on the substrate from the R, G, and B head groups, respectively, during movement of the carriage relative to the stage in a first direction.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus in which the occurrence of smearing and bleeding in the borders between black and color pixels can be reduced, and in which high-quality black characters and black images can be recorded. Black adjacent pixels, in which pixels adjacent to their periphery are black pixels, and color adjacent pixels, which are composed of pixels wherein pixels adjacent to their periphery are recorded with colored ink, are extracted from each pixels constituting a black image, and color ink data is created so that color ink is applied according to a certain ratio for the black adjacent pixels or color adjacent pixels. The occurrence of smearing and bleeding is suppressed by performing recording according to original data and the created color ink data.

Abstract: Provided herein is a method for arranging liquid droplet ejection heads comprising: arranging and fixing a plurality of inkjet liquid droplet ejection heads, ejecting a common functional liquid, on a common carriage plate, based on the amount of liquid droplets ejected from a number of ejecting nozzles in a nozzle row that each of the liquid droplet ejection heads has, with the heads shifted in a direction of the nozzle row, the heads being so arranged and fixed that in the heads closely aligned in the direction of the nozzle row, a difference between the amounts of liquid droplets ejected from two ejection nozzles located at each innermost end of the heads is within a predetermined range of tolerance, and the amounts of liquid droplets ejected from two ejection nozzles located at the outermost ends in the direction of the nozzle row are within a predetermined range of a reference amount.

Abstract: A method for printing with a plurality of dies. A plurality of dies is provided, with each die having a plurality of drop generators that are configured to eject drops of a same colored fluid. The drops from each die have a corresponding nominal drop weight at a reference temperature of the die. At least one of the dies is warmed to a corresponding elevated temperature higher than the reference temperature in order to substantially equalize the nominal drop weights of all of the dies.

Abstract: A printing apparatus including a plurality of ink cartridges each supplying ink; an image processor generates print data for each ink based on input print data; a buffer which stores the print data generated by the image processor for each ink; a print head for discharging the ink supplied from each ink cartridge from a nozzle group for each ink based on the print data for each ink stored in the buffer; and a supply line that supplies print data from the buffer to the print head.

Abstract: An apparatus has a plurality of printing cartridges to reproduce an image, wherein each printing cartridge prints a portion of the image onto a substrate. The apparatus further includes a media transport for moving the substrate parallel to a first dimension. The printing cartridges are disposed on a carrier in a two dimensional pattern such that the plurality of printing cartridges are able to print on the substrate a line that is perpendicular to the first dimension. Fewer than half of the plurality printing cartridges that print segments of the line that abut each other are adjacent to each other along the first dimension.

Abstract: A method of supplying a liquid material in the form of droplets onto a base 10A includes the steps of: preparing a base 10A; forming a plurality of partitions 18R, 18G and 18B on the base 10A, each of the plurality of partitions 18R, 18G and 18B being adapted to become a color element; and ejecting one or more droplet via a droplet ejection device 103 while mutually moving the base 10A with respect to the droplet ejection device 103, the droplet ejection device 103 having one or more nozzle 118 through which the liquid material is supplied onto each of the plurality of partitions 18R, 18G and 18B.

Abstract: In a printer to which a printer consumable material holder for supplying a printing medium is detachably mounted or in a digital camera which integrally includes this printer, image processes suitable for various printing media capable of being supplied can be performed. To do so, an information memory unit for storing information of the printing media is provided in the printer consumable material holder. In association with this, a unit for receiving the information, and a unit for analyzing the received information and determining an optimum image processing method for performing printing on the printing medium are provided in the printer. In a system structured by combining these units, the optimum image process is automatically adopted on the basis of the information stored in the printer consumable material holder.

Abstract: A printhead nozzle array includes groups of nozzle assemblies configured to eject respective colored inks. Each group has its nozzle assemblies arranged in rows. Each nozzle assembly includes a common substrate assembly. A nozzle is configured to contain ink and defines a nozzle opening through which the ink can be ejected. The nozzle includes a static wall portion extending from the substrate assembly and a movable crown portion defining the nozzle opening. An actuator extends from the substrate assembly. A lever arm extends from the actuator and is fast with the crown portion so that, upon actuation of the actuator, the lever arm moves the crown portion relative to the static wall portion to eject the ink out through the nozzle opening.

Abstract: A printhead module comprising at least first and second rows configured to print ink of a similar type or color, at least some nozzles in the first row being aligned with respective corresponding nozzles in the second row in a direction of intended media travel relative to the printhead, the printhead module being configurable such that the nozzles in the first and second rows are fired such that some dots output to print media are printed to by nozzles from the first row and at least some other dots output to print media are printed to by nozzles from the second row.

Abstract: A discrimination circuit is provided for discriminating between acceptance and non-acceptance of image data transmitted to a device substrate for every group of recording elements. Thereby, data corresponding to a plurality of recording element groups can be received from a common terminal.

Abstract: In a printer apparatus of the invention, a file storage unit stores an archive file including plural files each having a reservation keyword, a processing content designation data holding unit holds plural processing content designation data in which the reservation keyword and processing content on the file are made to correspond to each other, a processing content designation data retrieval unit extracts the reservation keyword from the file name of each of the plural files and retrieves one or plural processing content designation data including the extracted reservation keyword among the plural processing content designation data, and a print processing unit print-processes the data to be printed contained in the stored document file in accordance with the processing content on the file held in the processing content designation data holding unit corresponding to the retrieved processing content designation data.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium by using coloring materials of at least three colors of cyan, magenta and yellow, wherein: at least one of the cyan and magenta color materials is a coloring material of lower density than the yellow; and ink brightness or perception of graininess on the recording medium is substantially the same for each of the three coloring materials, if recording is carried out on the recording medium according to any one condition of: a first condition wherein recording is carried out using substantially the same dot size for each color, at a recording rate of 100%; a second condition wherein recording is carried out using substantially the same dot size for each color, at the same recording rate for each color with respect to the surface area of the recording medium that is to be evaluated, and at an overlap rate of 100%; and a third condition wherein recording is carried out using substantially the same dot size distribution for each color, at the same re