# US 2022/0032533 A1 · System and method for adjusting printing operations in a direct-to-object printer having limited drop size variation printheads > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2022/0032533 A1 - Document ID: US20220032533A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/944,817 - Filed: 2020-07-31 - Published: 2022-02-03 - Earliest claimed: 2020-07-31 - Assignees: Xerox Corporation - Applicants: Xerox Corporation - Inventors: Martin L. Frachioni - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220032533A1 ## CPC - B29C 64/112: using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads - B29C 64/209: Heads; Nozzles - B29C 64/236: for motion in a direction within the plane of a layer - B29C 64/241: for rotary motion - B29C 64/264: Arrangements for irradiation - B29C 64/393: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes - B41J 3/40733: {Printing on cylindrical or rotationally symmetrical objects, e. g. on bottles} - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor - B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING ## Abstract A direct-to-object printer is configured to adjust a pixel density of a portion of contone image data for an image to be printed on a surface of a tapered object. The controller of the printer also filters the contone image data with a stochastic halftone filer to produce binary image data for the image to be printed on the tapered object. The adjustment in the pixel density for the portion of the image to be printed on the portion of the object having a circumference that is different than another portion of the surface at the uppermost portion of the image produces a more uniform appearance in the resulting printed image. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A printing system comprising: at least one printhead, the printhead being configured to eject marking material; a support having a first end and a second end, the at least one printhead being positioned opposite the support and between the first end and the second end of the support; a holder configured to hold an object and to move along the support between the first end and the second end of the member; an actuator operatively connected to the holder, the actuator being configured to move the holder and an object within the holder along the support to a position opposite the at least one printhead and to rotate the object; and a controller operatively connected to the at least one printhead and the actuator, the controller being configured to operate the actuator to move the holder and the object with the holder to the position opposite the at least one printhead, to operate the actuator to position a face of the at least one printhead parallel to a surface of an object to be printed that has a varying circumference and to rotate the object, to modify contone image data to adjust a pixel density of an image to be printed on the surface of the object, to produce binary image data using the modified contone image data and a stochastic halftone filter, and to operate inkjets within the at least one printhead using the binary image data to form an image on the object with the varying circumference as the object rotates. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The printing system of claim 1, the controller being further configured to adjust a pixel density of a line of contone image values in the contone image data for an inkjet in the at least one printhead, the line of contone image data corresponding to a first portion of the surface of the object having a circumference that is greater than or less than a second portion of the surface of the object. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The printing system of claim 2 wherein the second portion of the surface of the object is located at a position where an uppermost line of the image is formed on the object. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The printing system of claim 3, the controller being further configured to: adjust each contone image value for the inkjet by multiplying each contone image value by a ratio of the circumference at the second portion to the circumference at the first portion. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The printing system of claim 4 wherein the at least one printhead ejects more than one color of ink. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The printing system of claim 5, the controller being further configured to: operate another actuator to move the at least one printhead by a predetermined distance in a cross-process direction; and operate the inkjets within the at least one printhead after movement of the printhead by the predetermined distance to increase a resolution of the image formed on the object in the cross-process direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The printing system of claim 6, the controller being further configured to: repeat the operation of the other actuator to move the at least one printhead by the predetermined distance and the operation of the inkjets for a predetermined number of times. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The printing system of claim 7 further comprising: a user interface; and the controller is further configured to receive data from the user interface that identifies the object within the holder. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The printing system of claim 8 wherein the at least one printhead is configured to eject ink drops with no more than two ink drop volumes. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The printing system of claim 9 further comprising: an ultraviolet (UV) lamp configured to emit light in an UV range to cure UV curable marking material ejected from the at least one printhead. ### Claim 11 A method of operating a printing system comprising: operating with a controller an actuator operatively connected to a holder to move the holder and an object having a varying circumference within the holder to a position opposite at least one printhead in the printing system; operating with the controller the actuator to position a face of the at least one printhead parallel to a surface of an object and to rotate the object; modifying with the controller contone image data of an image to be printed on a surface of the object to adjust a pixel density of the image to be printed on the surface of the object; filtering with the controller the modified contone image data using a stochastic halftone filter to produce binary image data; and operating inkjets within the at least one printhead using the binary image data to form an image on the object with the varying circumference as the object rotates. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 further comprising: adjusting with the controller a pixel density of a line of contone image values in the contone image data for an inkjet in the at least one printhead, the line of contone image data corresponding to a first portion of the surface of the object having a circumference that is greater than or less than a second portion of the surface of the object. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 wherein the second portion of the surface of the object is located at a position where an uppermost line of the image is formed on the object. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 further comprising: adjusting with the controller each contone image value for the inkjet by multiplying each contone image value by a ratio of the circumference at the second portion to the circumference at the first portion. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 further comprising: operating with the controller the at least one printhead to eject more than one color of ink. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 further comprising: operating with the controller another actuator to move the at least one printhead by a predetermined distance in a cross-process direction; and operating with the controller the inkjets within the at least one printhead after movement of the printhead by the predetermined distance to increase a resolution of the image formed on the object in the cross-process direction. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 further comprising: repeating with the controller the operation of the other actuator to move the at least one printhead by the predetermined distance and the operation of the inkjets for a predetermined number of times. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 further comprising: receiving from an user interface with the controller data that identifies the object within the holder. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18 further comprising: operating with the controller the at least one printhead to eject ink drops with no more than two ink drop volumes. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19 further comprising: operating with the controller an ultraviolet (UV) lamp emit light in an UV range to cure UV curable marking material ejected onto the surface of the object from the at least one printhead.