Method and apparatus for printing stroke and contone data together
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorVadlamannati Venkateswar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for printing stroke and contone data together are provided in which data to be printed (102) is identified by a processor (100) as being either stroke or contone data. For contone data, processor (100) controls a light source (14), a spatial light modulator (12), and an optical photoconductive drum (16) to generate image quality graphics by using spatial light modulation in the process and cross-process directions. For stroke data, processor (100) controls light source (14), spatial light modulator (12), and optical photoconductive drum (16) for high resolution printing by using intensity modulation. Processor (100) is operable to control light intensities through the use of lookup tables stored in a memory (104).
Claims20
A method of printing both stroke and contone data together, comprising the steps of:
- identifying data to be printed as either contone data or stroke data;
- rendering the contone data with spatial modulation in the process and cross-process directions;
- and
- rendering the stroke data with intensity modulation wherein said rendering the contone data and said rendering the stroke data steps are accomplished with a light source and a spatial light modulator.
A method of printing both stroke and contone data together, comprising the steps of:
- identifying data to be printed as either contone data or stroke data;
- shining light on a spatial light modulator, the spatial light modulator having a plurality of rows of individual elements;
- for the contone data, reflecting the light from predetermined individual elements of a plurality of rows onto predetermined phases of pixels of a photoconductive drum operable to rotate in a process direction, the predetermined phases rendering the pixels at image quality gray scale levels;
- for the stroke data, reflecting the light from predetermined individual elements onto predetermined phases of the photoconductive drum, the predetermined phases rendering the stroke data at high resolution;
- attracting toner to the phases, the amount of toner attracted to a particular phase being based on the amount of light that has fallen on that phase;
- and
- transferring the toner to a print medium.
A printer, comprising:
- a light source;
- a spatial light modulator operable to receive light from said light source, said spatial light modulator having a plurality of rows of individual elements;
- a photoconductive drum operable to rotate in a process direction and having predefined pixels with phases operable to receive light reflected from predetermined individual elements of a plurality of rows;
- a processor operable to control said individual elements such that for contone data, light is reflected from predetermined individual elements of a plurality of rows onto predetermined phases of pixels of said photoconductive drum to render the pixels at image quality gray scale levels;
- and
- said processor also being operable to control said individual elements such that for stroke data, light is reflected from predetermined individual elements onto predetermined phases of said photoconductive drum to render the stroke data at high resolution.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.