Printer, printer control program, printer control method, print data generating device, print data generating program, and print data generating method

A printer control program product that causes a computer to execute a method of controlling a printer that prints an image on a print medium by means of a print head having nozzles that can form dots on the print medium, the method comprising:

• acquiring image data having pixel values each having M gray scales (where, M≧2);
• specifying a nozzle concerned with banding generation in the print head, based on nozzle characteristic information representing characteristics of the nozzles;
• performing a banding prevention process for data corresponding to a banding generation line constituted by dots formed by the nozzle concerned with the banding generation and a different line constituted by dots formed by a different nozzle near the nozzle concerned with the banding generation in the image data to reduce deterioration of print quality due to the banding;
• and
• controlling a process range of the banding prevention process to include the banding generation line and the different line, a density difference of density values of a line adjacent to the different line falling within a predetermined numerical range.

A printer control method of controlling a printer that prints an image on a print medium by means of a print head having nozzles that can form dots on the print medium, the method comprising:

• acquiring image data having pixel values each having M gray scales (where, M≧2);
• specifying a nozzle concerned with banding generation in the print head, based on nozzle characteristic information representing characteristics of the nozzles;
• performing a banding prevention process for data corresponding to a banding generation line constituted by dots formed by the nozzle concerned with the banding generation and a different line constituted by dots formed by a different nozzle near the nozzle concerned with the banding generation in the image data to reduce deterioration of print quality due to the banding;
• controlling a process range of the banding prevention process to include the banding generation line and the different line, a density difference of density values of a line adjacent to the different line falling within a predetermined numerical range;
• and
• printing the image on the print medium by means of the print head, based on the image data that are subjected to the banding prevention process.