# US 2013/0155149 A1 · Printing device and printing method

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- Number: US 2013/0155149 A1
- Document ID: US20130155149A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/714,832
- Filed: 2012-12-14
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2011-12-15
- Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Inventors: Yutaka KOBASHI
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130155149A1

## CPC

- B41J 2/2121: {characterised by dot size, e.g. combinations of printed dots of different diameter}
- B41J 2/1433: {Structure of nozzle plates}
- 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)}
- H04N 1/54: Conversion of colour picture signals to a plurality of signals some of which represent particular mixed colours, e.g. for textile printing
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

Dots with metallic ink are formed in an arrangement in which an average of distances between dots with the metallic dots is shorter than an average of distances between dots with color ink. The “distance between dots with the color ink” indicates a distance from a color dot to be focused to one color dot at the closest position thereto. The same holds true for the metallic ink.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A printing device comprising:
a nozzle row for discharging color ink; and
a nozzle row for discharging metallic ink,
wherein an average of distances between dots with the metallic ink is shorter than an average of distances between dots with the color ink.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The printing device according to claim 1,
wherein the dots are formed on a pixel group basis, and
a positional relationship between dots on a first pixel group and dots on a second pixel group is adjusted so as to perform shortening of distance in which the average of the distances between the dots with the metallic ink is made shorter than the average of the distances between the dots with the color ink.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The printing device according to claim 2,
wherein the pixel group is a group on a pass basis in serial scanning, and
arrangement of the dots to be formed on at least one of the plurality of pixel groups is deviated in a scanning direction of the serial scanning so as to perform the shortening.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The printing device according to claim 3,
wherein arrangement of the dots to be formed on at least one of the plurality of pixel groups is deviated in a feeding direction of a print medium so as to perform the shortening.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The printing device according to claim 2, further comprising a line head on which a plurality of nozzle rows are arranged in a feeding direction of a print medium,
wherein the pixel group is a group on the nozzle row basis, and
arrangement of the dots to be formed on at least one of the plurality of pixel groups is deviated in a feeding direction of a print medium so as to perform the shortening.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The printing device according to claim 1,
wherein whether or not the average of the distances between the dots is shorter is defined by comparing the average of the distances between the dots with the color ink and the average of the distances between the dots with the metallic ink when a ratio between a dot generation ratio of the color ink and a dot generation ratio of the metallic ink is within a predetermined range.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The printing device according to claim 1,
wherein whether or not the average of the distances between the dots is shorter is defined by comparing a value obtained by normalizing the average of the distances between the dots with the color ink by a dot generation ratio of the color ink with a value obtained by normalizing the average of the distances between the dots with the metallic ink by a dot generation ratio of the metallic ink.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The printing device according to claim 1,
wherein a coverage of the dots with the metallic ink is smaller than a coverage of the dots with the color ink.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The printing device according to claim 1,
wherein relief of the dots with the metallic ink is higher than relief of the dots with the color ink.

### Claim 10

A printing device comprising:
a nozzle row for discharging color ink; and
a nozzle row for discharging metallic ink,
wherein dots with the metallic ink are partially clustered in comparison with dots with the color ink.

### Claim 11

A printing device comprising:
a nozzle row for discharging color ink; and
a nozzle row for discharging metallic ink,
wherein an area on which dots with the metallic ink are overlapped is larger than an area on which dots with the color ink are overlapped.