Print data editing device editing print data such that partial image corresponding to column is shifted in sub-scanning direction and editing condition is met

A print data editing device comprising:

• a controller configured to edit print data to be used in a printing device, the printing device including:
• a print head;
• and a conveying unit, the print head including a plurality of elements linearly arrayed in a main scanning direction, the conveying unit being configured to cause a print target and the print head to move relative to each other in a sub-scanning direction crossing the main scanning direction, the print data including data indicating either ON or OFF for each of the plurality of elements, the printing device being configured to perform image formation on the print target on the basis of the print data while causing the print head and the print target to move relative to each other in the sub-scanning direction to thereby form an image represented by the print data on the print target, the printing device being configured to form the image on the print target line by line by causing, on the basis of the print data, selected one or more of the plurality of elements to be driven, the image represented by the print data being constituted by a plurality of dots defined by the plurality of elements, the controller being configured to perform:
• (a) acquiring print data representing an input image;
• and
• (b) editing the print data acquired in (a) such that when the dots constituting the input image represented by the print data acquired in (a) are compared by units of columns before and after performing the editing in (b), a coincidence is maximized when an image of each column in the input image after the editing in (b) is the same position as an image of the corresponding column in the input image before the editing in (b) or is shifted by a corresponding shift amount in the sub-scanning direction relative to the image of the corresponding column in the input image before the editing in (b) and an editing condition is met, each column including the dots continuously aligned in the sub-scanning direction partially from an upstream end toward a downstream end in the sub-scanning direction, a number of the dots included in each column being fewer than a number of all the dots continuously aligned in the sub-scanning direction from the upstream end toward the downstream end in the sub-scanning direction, wherein the editing condition is that an absolute value of at least one of the shift amounts for the columns in the input image after the editing in (b) is one dot or greater, an absolute difference value for any two neighboring columns in the main scanning direction in the input image after the editing in (b) is less than or equal to 150 μm, and at least one of a plurality of absolute difference values for all possible combinations of two columns of the columns is less than one dot, the absolute difference value for two columns being an absolute value of a difference in the shift amounts between the two columns, the one dot being represented by one or more sub-dots, each of the sub-dots being formed by dividing the one dot into a plurality of equal parts in the sub-scanning direction.

A print data editing method performed by a controller of a print data editing device configured to edit print data to be used in a printing device, the printing device including:

• a print head;
• and a conveying unit, the print head including a plurality of elements linearly arrayed in a main scanning direction, the conveying unit being configured to cause a print target and the print head to move relative to each other in a sub-scanning direction crossing the main scanning direction, the print data including data indicating either ON or OFF for each of the plurality of elements, the printing device being configured to perform image formation on the print target on the basis of the print data while causing the print head and the print target to move relative to each other in the sub-scanning direction to thereby form an image represented by the print data on the print target, the printing device being configured to form the image on the print target line by line by causing, on the basis of the print data, selected one or more of the plurality of elements to be driven, the image represented by the print data being constituted by a plurality of dots defined by the plurality of elements, the print data editing method comprising:
• (a) acquiring print data representing an input image;
• and
• (b) editing the print data acquired in (a) such that when the dots constituting the input image represented by the print data acquired in (a) are compared by units of columns before and after performing the editing in (b), a coincidence is maximized when an image of each column in the input image after the editing in (b) is the same position as an image of the corresponding column in the input image before the editing in (b) or is shifted by a corresponding shift amount in the sub-scanning direction relative to the image of the corresponding column in the input image before the editing in (b), each column including the dots continuously aligned in the sub-scanning direction partially from an upstream end toward a downstream end in the sub-scanning direction, a number of the dots included in each column being fewer than a number of all the dots continuously aligned in the sub-scanning direction from the upstream end toward the downstream end in the sub-scanning direction, wherein an absolute value of at least one of the shift amounts for the columns in the input image after the editing in (b) is one dot or greater, an absolute difference value for any two neighboring columns in the main scanning direction in the input image after the editing in (b) is less than or equal to one dot or less than or equal to 150 μm, and at least one of a plurality of absolute difference values for all possible combinations of two columns of the columns is less than one dot, the absolute difference value for two columns being an absolute value of a difference in the shift amounts between the two columns, the one dot being represented by one or more sub-dots, each of the sub-dots being formed by dividing the one dot into a plurality of equal parts in the sub-scanning direction.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a set of computer-readable instructions for a print data editing device comprising a processor configured to edit print data to be used in a printing device, the printing device including:

• a print head;
• and a conveying unit, the print head including a plurality of elements linearly arrayed in a main scanning direction, the conveying unit being configured to cause a print target and the print head to move relative to each other in a sub-scanning direction crossing the main scanning direction, the print data including data indicating either ON or OFF for each of the plurality of elements, the printing device being configured to perform image formation on the print target on the basis of the print data while causing the print head and the print target to move relative to each other in the sub-scanning direction to thereby form an image represented by the print data on the print target, the printing device being configured to form the image on the print target line by line by causing, on the basis of the print data, selected one or more of the plurality of elements to be driven, the image represented by the print data being constituted by a plurality of dots defined by the plurality of elements, the set of computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the print data editing device to perform:
• (a) acquiring print data representing an input image;
• and
• (b) editing the print data acquired in (a) such that when the dots constituting the input image represented by the print data acquired in (a) are compared by units of columns before and after performing the editing in (b), a coincidence is maximized when an image of each column in the input image after the editing in (b) is the same position as an image of the corresponding column in the input image before the editing in (b) or is shifted by a corresponding shift amount in the sub-scanning direction relative to the image of the corresponding column in the input image before the editing in (b), each column including the dots continuously aligned in the sub-scanning direction partially from an upstream end toward a downstream end in the sub-scanning direction, a number of the dots included in each column being fewer than a number of all the dots continuously aligned in the sub-scanning direction from the upstream end toward the downstream end in the sub-scanning direction, wherein an absolute value of at least one of the shift amounts for the columns in the input image after the editing in (b) is one dot or greater, an absolute difference value for any two neighboring columns in the main scanning direction in the input image after the editing in (b) is less than or equal to one dot or less than or equal to 150 μm, and at least one of a plurality of absolute difference values for all possible combinations of two columns of the columns is less than one dot, the absolute difference value for two columns being an absolute value of a difference in the shift amounts between the two columns, the one dot being represented by one or more sub-dots, each of the sub-dots being formed by dividing the one dot into a plurality of equal parts in the sub-scanning direction.