Inkjet printer and inkjet printing method

An inkjet printing method, comprising the steps of:

• preparing a recording medium;
• providing photocurable clear ink on the recording medium and irradiating the clear ink with light to form a matte clear ink layer;
• and
• providing photocurable achromatic color ink on the clear ink layer and irradiating the achromatic color ink with light to form an achromatic color ink layer;
• and
• providing photocurable chromatic color ink on the achromatic ink layer and irradiating the chromatic color ink with light to form a chromatic ink layer.

An inkjet printer, comprising:

• a clear ink tank that stores photocurable clear ink;
• a color ink tank that stores photocurable color ink;
• a clear ink injection head in communication with the clear ink tank, the clear ink injection head injecting the clear ink toward a recording medium;
• a color ink injection head in communication with the color ink tank, the color ink injection head injecting the color ink toward the recording medium;
• a light source that irradiates the recording medium with light;
• and
• a controller communicably connected with the clear ink injection head, the color ink injection head and the light source;
• wherein
• the controller is structured or programmed to include:
• a matte printing controller structured or programmed to cause the clear ink to be injected from the clear ink injection head and to be irradiated by the light source to form a matte clear ink layer on the recording medium;
• and
• a color printing controller structured or programmed to cause the color ink to be injected from the color ink injection head to form a color ink layer on the clear ink layer;
• and
• the matte printing controller is structured or programmed to form the clear ink layer such that the clear ink layer has a thickness variance larger than a thickness variance of the color ink layer, or the matte printing controller is structured or programmed to form the clear ink layer such that the clear ink layer includes at least one of a portion having a thickness 1.5 times an average thickness of the clear ink layer and a portion having a thickness less than 0.5 times the average thickness of the clear ink layer.