Modifying image data to compensate for defective printer nozzles
AssigneeElectronics for Imaging, Inc.
InventorSteven Billow
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The disclosed embodiments include a method to compensate for defective printer nozzles. The method can include detecting a defective printer nozzle and initiating a print job including image data of the defective printer nozzle for a pixel location of an image. The image is to be printed in accordance with a print mask that maps printer nozzles to pixel locations of the image. The method can include modifying the image to print the image data in a neighboring pixel location relative to the pixel location of the image and printing the modified image.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- determining that a first printer nozzle is defective among a first plurality of printer nozzles that are able to eject ink onto a medium;
- identifying image data to be used to print an image formed of raster rows and raster columns on the medium in accordance with a print mask that maps the first printer nozzle to a pixel at a first location;
- and
- modifying the image such that the pixel is printed by a second printer nozzle of the plurality of printer nozzles at a second location that is different than the first location.
A non-transitory medium with instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
- receiving input that is indicative of a request to print an image;
- detecting a defective nozzle among a plurality of nozzles that are responsible for ejecting eject ink onto a medium to form the image;
- and
- implementing a compensation scheme in which a pixel to be printed by the defective nozzle is
- (i) assigned to a fully complementary nozzle when at least one fully complementary nozzle is available, and
- (ii) assigned to a partially complementary nozzle when no fully complementary nozzles are available.
A printer comprising:
- a plurality of nozzles that are able to eject ink onto a medium to form an image;
- a processor;
- and
- a memory with instructions stored therein that, when executed by the processor, cause the printer to:
- detect that a first nozzle of the plurality of nozzles is defective,
- obtain a list that specifies
- (i) nozzles, if any, that are fully complementary to the first nozzle, and
- (ii) nozzles, if any, that are partially complementary to the first nozzle, and
- cause a pixel that is assigned to the first nozzle for printing to be assigned to a second nozzle that is selected from the list.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.