US 2004/0165022 A1 · Printing method and printing apparatus

Abstract

This invention relates to a printing method and printing apparatus capable of printing a high-quality image free from any visual graininess by reducing density unevenness and color unevenness. In printing by discharging ink from a printhead onto a printing medium, the printing apparatus executes either one of (A) the first printing operation mode in which one dot layout pattern is assigned to a plurality of pixels at the same gradation level and printing is done on the basis of the assigned dot layout pattern, or (B) the second printing operation mode in which plural types of dot layout patterns are assigned to a plurality of pixels at the same gradation level and printing is done on the basis of the assigned dot layout patterns.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A printing method of printing by discharging ink from a printhead onto a printing medium on the basis of a dot layout pattern corresponding to a gradation level of each pixel, comprising:

a selection step of selecting one printing operation mode from a first printing operation mode in which one dot layout pattern is assigned to a plurality of pixels at a same gradation level and printing is done on the basis of the assigned dot layout pattern, and a second printing operation mode in which plural types of dot layout patterns are assigned to a plurality of pixels at a same gradation level and printing is done on the basis of the assigned dot layout patterns;
and
a printing step of executing the printing operation mode selected in said selection step.

A printing apparatus which prints by discharging ink from a printhead onto a printing medium, comprising:

determination means for determining a dot layout pattern to be assigned to each pixel in accordance with at least one information out of information on a size of the printing medium and information on a size of image data;
and
printing means for printing each pixel on the basis of the dot layout pattern determined by said determination means,
wherein said determination means determines, in accordance with said at least one information, whether to assign one dot layout pattern or plural types of dot layout patterns to a plurality of pixels at a predetermined level in which a predetermined number of dots are printed.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Printing method and printing apparatus

Life of this patent

Printing method and printing apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14