Printing apparatus and printing method
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorYuji Tsuruoka
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention discloses a printing apparatus and printing method for shortening the print data transfer time in thinning and driving nozzles in high-speed printing, multipass printing, or the like. In thinning and driving nozzle blocks, a printer main body transmits data representing a print mode, and print data (IDATA) corresponding to nozzles to be used. In a printhead, a shift clock generator (5) generates a shift clock (SCLK) shortened in period in accordance with the thinning ratio, and a shift register (1) stores the print data in correspondence with the clock. Print data corresponding to the printing elements to be used are repetitively stored in areas corresponding to printing elements not to be used.
Claims15
A printing apparatus for printing by scanning a print medium by a carriage which supports a printhead having a plurality of printing elements aligned in a predetermined direction, in a direction perpendicular to an alignment direction of the printing elements, comprising:
- transmission means for serially transmitting print data to the printhead;
- storage means for storing the print data transmitted from said transmission means in correspondence with the respective printing element;
- holding means for reading out and holding the print data stored in said storage means;
- and
- driving means for driving the respective printing elements in accordance with the print data held in said holding means,
- wherein when a print mode in which printing is performed only by some of the plurality of printing elements by one scan is selected,
- said transmission means transmits print data (IDATA) corresponding to the printing elements used for printing, and
- said storage means stores data transmitted from said transmission means at a speed which is a reciprocal multiple of a ratio of the printing elements used for printing.
A printing method of printing by scanning a print medium by a carriage which supports a printhead having a plurality of printing elements aligned in a predetermined direction, in a direction perpendicular to an alignment direction of the printing elements, comprising:
- the transmission step of serially transmitting print data to the printhead;
- the storage step of storing the print data transmitted in the transmission step in storage means (1) in correspondence with the respective printing elements;
- the holding step of reading out and holding in holding means (2) the print data stored in the storage means;
- and
- the driving step of driving the respective printing elements in accordance with the print data held in the holding means,
- wherein when a print mode in which printing is performed only by some of the plurality of printing elements by one scan is selected,
- the transmission step comprises transmitting print data (IDATA) corresponding to the printing elements used for printing, and
- the storage step comprises storing data transmitted in the transmission step at a speed which is a reciprocal multiple of a ratio of the printing elements used for printing.
A storage medium which stores program codes for realizing a printing method of printing by scanning a print medium by a carriage which supports a printhead having a plurality of printing elements aligned in a predetermined direction, in a direction perpendicular to an alignment direction of the printing elements, wherein the printing method comprises:
- the transmission step of serially transmitting print data to the printhead;
- the storage step of storing the print data transmitted in the transmission step in storage means in correspondence with the respective printing elements;
- the holding step of reading out and holding in holding means the print data stored in the storage means;
- and
- the driving step of driving the respective printing elements in accordance with the print data held in the holding means,
- wherein when a print mode in which printing is performed only by some of the plurality of printing elements by one scan is selected,
- the transmission step comprises transmitting print data corresponding to the printing elements used for printing, and
- the storage step comprises storing data transmitted in the transmission step at a speed which is a reciprocal multiple of a ratio of the printing elements used for printing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.