Image processing apparatus, image processing method and image printing apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsTatsuo Shimmoto, Masami Izumizaki, Yoshiyuki Nagase, Takeshi Oota, Takao Ogata, Noboru Kunimine
Life of this patent
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Abstract
When an image is printed with inks each containing a polymer emulsion and a film forming agent, the ejection of the inks is controlled so that the ink having a relatively low dynamic surface tension forms dots having a higher dot connectivity than the dots formed with the ink having a relatively high dynamic surface tension.
Claims21
An image processing apparatus configured to generate printing data for a printing head to eject a plurality of inks to a plurality of pixel areas, corresponding to pixels, in a unit region on a printing medium by a plurality of relative scanning operations, the plurality of inks including a first color ink containing a pigment, a polymer emulsion and a water-soluble organic solvent, and a second color ink containing a pigment, a polymer emulsion and a water-soluble organic solvent and having a lower dynamic surface tension than the first color ink at a predetermined bubble lifetime, the image processing apparatus comprising:
- an image data obtaining unit configured to obtain first image data determining, for each of the pixel areas, whether or not the first color ink is ejected to the pixel area, and second image data determining, for each of the pixel areas, whether or not the second color ink is ejected to the pixel area;
- and
- a printing data generator configured to generate a plurality of first printing data, corresponding to the plurality of scanning operations and being used for printing performed by the corresponding scanning operation, from the first image data according to a plurality of first mask patterns in which print permitting pixels and print non-permitting pixels are arranged, and a plurality of second printing data, corresponding to the plurality of scanning operations and being used for printing performed by the corresponding scanning operation, from the second image data according to a plurality of second mask patterns in which print permitting pixels and print non-permitting pixel are arranged,
- wherein the print permitting pixels in each mask pattern define at least one print permitting pixel unit consisting of a plurality of print permitting pixels adjoining each other or a single print permitting pixel not adjoining other print permitting pixels, and the average number per print permitting pixel unit of the print permitting pixels in one of the second mask patterns is larger than the average number per print permitting pixel unit of the print permitting pixels in one of the first mask patterns.
An image processing apparatus configured to generate printing data for a printing head to eject a plurality of inks to a plurality of pixel areas, corresponding to pixels, in a unit region on a printing medium by a plurality of relative scanning operations, the plurality of inks including a first color ink containing a pigment, a polymer emulsion and a water-soluble organic solvent, and a second color ink containing a pigment, a polymer emulsion and a water-soluble organic solvent and having a lower dynamic surface tension than the first color ink at a predetermined bubble lifetime, the image processing apparatus comprising:
- a first obtaining unit configured to obtain first image data determining, for each of the pixel areas, whether or not the first color ink is ejected to the pixel area, and second image data determining, for each of the pixel areas, whether or not the second color ink is ejected to the pixel area;
- a second obtaining unit configured to obtain the amount of the second color ink to be ejected to the unit region;
- and
- a printing data generator configured to generate a plurality of first printing data, corresponding to the plurality of scanning operations and being used for printing performed by the corresponding scanning operation, from the first image data according to a plurality of first mask patterns in which print permitting pixels and print non-permitting pixels are arranged, and a plurality of second printing data, corresponding to the plurality of scanning operations and being used for printing performed by the corresponding scanning operation, from the second image data according to a plurality of second mask patterns or a plurality of third mask patterns, the second and third mask patterns including print permitting pixels and print non-permitting pixels arranged therein,
- wherein the print permitting pixels in each mask pattern define at least one print permitting pixel unit consisting of a plurality of print permitting pixels adjoining each other or a single print permitting pixel not adjoining other print permitting pixels, and the average number per print permitting pixel unit of the print permitting pixels in one of the second mask patterns is larger than the average number per print permitting pixel unit of the print permitting pixels in one of the first mask patterns and the average number per print permitting pixel unit of the print permitting pixels in one of the third mask patterns, and wherein
- the printing data generator generates:
- (i) second printing data according to the third mask patterns in a case that the ejection amount of the second color ink obtained by the second obtaining unit is a first amount;
- and (ii) second printing data according to the second mask patterns in a case that the ejection amount of the second color ink obtained by the second obtaining unit is a second amount smaller than the first amount.
An image processing apparatus configured to generate printing data for a printing head to eject a plurality of inks to a plurality of pixel areas, corresponding to pixels, in a unit region on a printing medium by a plurality of scanning operations, the plurality of inks including a first color ink containing a pigment, a polymer emulsion and a water-soluble organic solvent, and a second color ink containing a pigment, a polymer emulsion and a water-soluble organic solvent and having a lower dynamic surface tension than the first color ink at a predetermined bubble lifetime, the image processing apparatus comprising:
- an image data obtaining unit configured to obtain first image data determining, for each of the pixel areas, whether or not the first color ink is ejected to the pixel area, and second image data determining, for each of the pixel areas, whether or not the second color ink is ejected to the pixel area, and
- a printing data generator configured to generate a plurality of first printing data, corresponding to the plurality of scanning operations and being used for printing performed by the corresponding scanning operation, from the first image data according to a plurality of first mask patterns in which print permitting pixels and print non-permitting pixels are arranged, and a plurality of second printing data, corresponding to the plurality of scanning operations and being used for printing performed by the corresponding scanning operation, from the second image data according to a plurality of second mask patterns in which print permitting pixels and print non-permitting pixel are arranged,
- wherein the degree of dispersion in distribution of the print permitting pixels in one of the second mask patterns is lower than the degree of dispersion in distribution of the print permitting pixels in one of the first mask patterns.
An image printing apparatus configured to print an image, the image printing apparatus comprising:
- a printing head configured to eject a plurality of inks including a first color ink containing a pigment, a polymer emulsion and a water-soluble organic solvent, and a second color ink containing a pigment, a polymer emulsion and a water-soluble organic solvent and having a lower dynamic surface tension than the first color ink at a predetermined bubble lifetime;
- a scanning unit configured to cause the printing head to perform a plurality of relative scanning operations on a unit region of a printing medium in a scanning direction;
- and
- a controller configured to control the ejection with the scanning operation of the first and the second color ink from the printing head to the unit region so that the connectivity of dots of the second color ink formed in the unit region by a predetermined one of the scanning operations is larger than the connectivity of dots of the first color ink formed in the unit region by the predetermined scanning operation.
An image processing method for generating printing data for a printing head to eject a plurality of inks to a plurality of pixel area, corresponding to pixels, in a unit region on a printing medium by a plurality of scanning operations, the plurality of inks including a first color ink containing a pigment, a polymer emulsion and a water-soluble organic solvent, and a second color ink containing a pigment, a polymer emulsion and a water-soluble organic solvent and having a lower dynamic surface tension than the first color ink at a predetermined bubble lifetime, the image processing method comprising:
- obtaining first image data determining, for each of the pixel areas, whether or not the first color ink is ejected to the pixel area, and second image data determining, for each of the pixel areas, whether or not the second color ink is ejected to the pixel area, and
- generating a plurality of first printing data, corresponding to the plurality of scanning operations and being used for printing performed by the corresponding scanning operation, from the first image data according to a plurality of first mask patterns in which print permitting pixels and print non-permitting pixels are arranged, and a plurality of second printing data, corresponding to the plurality of scanning operations and being used for printing performed by the corresponding scanning operation, from the second image data according to a plurality of second mask patterns in which print permitting pixels and print non-permitting pixel are arranged,
- wherein the print permitting pixels in each mask pattern define at least one print permitting pixel unit consisting of a plurality of print permitting pixels adjoining each other or a single print permitting pixel not adjoining other print permitting pixels, and the average number per print permitting pixel unit of the print permitting pixels in one of the second mask patterns is larger than the average number per print permitting pixel unit of the print permitting pixels in one of the first mask patterns.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.