# US 12,109,821 B2 · Printing apparatus and printing method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,109,821 B2 - Document ID: US12109821B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/981,523 - Filed: 2022-11-07 - Published: 2023-05-18 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2021-11-12 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Naoko Baba; Satoshi Wada; Yoshitomo Marumoto; Yuji Konno; Takeshi Yazawa; Shin Genta; Shingo Nishioka; Jumpei Jogo; Takayuki Ushiyama; Keiji Kuriyama; Serena Yoshikawa; Taichi Yokokawa; Yumi Shimokodachi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12109821B2 ## CPC - B41J 2/2103: {Features not dealing with the colouring process per se, e.g. construction of printers or heads, driving circuit adaptations} - B41J 2/2132: {Print quality control characterised by dot disposition, e.g. for reducing white stripes or banding (methods for local corrections by dot omission, image edge enhancement, or multi-pass mask selection G06K15/102; colour conversion H04N1/40)} - B41J 2/16508: {connected with the printer frame} - B41J 2/2114: {Ejecting specialized liquids, e.g. transparent or processing liquids (B41J2/211 takes precedence)} - B41J 2/2117: {Ejecting white liquids} - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS ## Abstract A printing apparatus performs control so that out of N scans for printing an image in a predetermined region on a print medium, a total application amount of a reactive liquid printed by first N/2 scans and a total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by second N/2 scans may be different between a case where an application amount of the reactive liquid per unit area which corresponds to the predetermined region is a first amount and a case where the application amount of the reactive liquid per unit area is a second amount larger than the first amount. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A printing apparatus including a first nozzle array having ejection ports configured to eject a color material ink and arranged in a sub scanning direction and a second nozzle array having ejection ports configured to eject a reactive liquid and arranged in the sub scanning direction, the printing apparatus printing an image in a predetermined region on a print medium by scanning the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array N times (where N is an integer of 2 or greater) in a main scanning direction intersecting with the sub scanning direction, the printing apparatus comprising a control unit configured to perform control so that out of the N scans for printing the image in the predetermined region on the print medium, a total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by first N/2 scans and a total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by second N/2 scans are different between a case where an application amount of the reactive liquid per unit area which corresponds to the predetermined region is a first amount and a case where the application amount of the reactive liquid per unit area is a second amount larger than the first amount. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the application amount of the reactive liquid is the first amount, the control unit performs control so that out of the N scans for printing the image in the predetermined region on the print medium, the total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by the first N/2 scans is larger than the total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by the second N/2 scans. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the application amount of the reactive liquid is the second amount, the control unit performs control so that out of the N scans for printing the image in the predetermined region on the print medium, the total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by the first N/2 scans is equal to the total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by the second N/2 scans. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus is capable of printing an image on a first print medium or a second print medium which is more absorbent of the color material ink and the reactive liquid than the first print medium, and in a case where the application amount of the reactive liquid is the first amount, the control unit performs control so that for the second print medium, the total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by the first N/2 scans out of the N scans for printing the image in the predetermined region on the second print medium is smaller than in a case of using the first print medium. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein in a case where the application amount of the reactive liquid is the second amount, the control unit performs control so that for either one of the first print medium and the second print medium, the total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by the first N/2 scans out of the N scans for printing the image in the predetermined region on the print medium is equal to the total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by the second N/2 scans. ### Claim 6 A printing apparatus including a first nozzle array having ejection ports configured to eject a color material ink and arranged in a sub scanning direction and a second nozzle array and a third nozzle array each having ejection ports configured to eject a reactive liquid and arranged in the sub scanning direction, the printing apparatus printing an image in a predetermined region on a print medium by scanning the first nozzle array, the second nozzle array, and the third nozzle array N times (where N is an integer of 2 or greater) in a main scanning direction intersecting with the sub scanning direction, the printing apparatus comprising a control unit configured to perform control so that in a case where the application amount of the reactive liquid to the predetermined region is a first amount, the application amount of the reactive liquid by the second nozzle array is larger than that by the third nozzle array, in a case where the application amount of the reactive liquid to the predetermined region is a second amount which is larger than the first amount, the application amount of the reactive liquid by the third nozzle array is larger than that by the second nozzle array, and out of the N scans with which the second nozzle array and the third nozzle array print the image in the predetermined region on the print medium, a total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by first N/2 scans and a total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by second N/2 scans are different between the second nozzle array and the third nozzle array. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit preforms control so that, out of the N scans with which the second nozzle array prints the image in the predetermined region on the print medium, the total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by the first N/2 scans is larger than the total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by the second N/2 scans. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit preforms control so that, out of the N scans with which the third nozzle array prints the image in the predetermined region on the print medium, the total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by the first N/2 scans is equal to the total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by the second N/2 scans. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs the control through mask processing using a mask pattern. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The printing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the control unit performs the mask processing using a first mask defining that printing of the predetermined region is completed by the first N/2 scans out of the N scans and a second mask defining that printing of the predetermined region is completed by N scans out of the N scans. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The printing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the control unit determines an application amount of the reactive liquid based on target image data to be printed in the predetermined region, based on the determined application amount of the reactive liquid, the control unit determines mask selection data for selecting a mask pattern to use in the mask processing, and based on the mask selection data, the control unit determines a mask pattern to use in the mask processing for the predetermined region from the first mask or the second mask. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The printing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein as the mask pattern to use for the mask processing on the predetermined region, the control unit determines a mask pattern obtained by determining a value corresponding to a value in a target area in the mask selection data from a value of the same area as the target area in the first mask and the second mask. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs control so that a difference between an application amount by a nozzle end portion of the second nozzle array and an application amount by a nozzle center portion of the second nozzle array in printing of the total application amount of the reactive liquid by the first N/2 scans on the print medium in a case of the first amount is different from a difference between an application amount by the nozzle end portion of the second nozzle array and an application amount by the nozzle center portion of the second nozzle array in printing of the total application amount of the reactive liquid by the first N/2 scans on the print medium in a case of the second amount. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The printing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein in a case where the application amount of the reactive liquid is the first amount, the control unit performs control so that in the printing of the total application amount of the reactive liquid by the first N/2 scans on the print medium, the application amount by the nozzle end portion of the second nozzle array is equal to the application amount by the nozzle center portion of the second nozzle array. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The printing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein in a case where the application amount of the reactive liquid is the second amount, the control unit performs control so that in the printing of the total application amount of the reactive liquid by the first N/2 scans on the print medium, the application amount by the nozzle end portion of the second nozzle array is smaller than the application amount by the nozzle center portion of the second nozzle array. ### Claim 16 A printing method for a printing apparatus including a first nozzle array having ejection ports configured to eject a color material ink and arranged in a sub scanning direction and a second nozzle array having ejection ports configured to eject a reactive liquid and arranged in the sub scanning direction, the printing method printing an image in a predetermined region on a print medium by scanning the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array N times (where N is an integer of 2 or greater) in a main scanning direction intersecting with the sub scanning direction, the printing method comprising performing control so that out of the N scans for printing the image in the predetermined region on the print medium, a total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by first N/2 scans and a total application amount of the reactive liquid printed by second N/2 scans are different between a case where an application amount of the reactive liquid per unit area which corresponds to the predetermined region is a first amount and a case where the application amount of the reactive liquid per unit area is a second amount larger than the first amount.