Print resolution enhancement by adjusting printhead position
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorChuong C. Ta
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A swath type printer including a print carriage supported printhead and a printhead positioning mechanism for adjusting the position of the printhead relative to the media axis at the end of each scan of the carriage along a carriage axis, such that dots printed by printing elements of the printhead in a sequence of a first scan and a second scan of the print carriage are interleaved along the media axis and are separated along the media axis by one-half of the predetermined printing element dot pitch.
Claims8
A printer comprising:
- a printhead having a plurality of printing elements having a predetermined printing element dot pitch along a media axis;
- a movable print carriage for reciprocatingly scanning along a carriage scan axis, wherein dots printed in a scan of said carriage along the carriage axis are separated along the media axis by the predetermined printing element dot pitch;
- positionally adjustable mounting means on said print carriage for holding said printhead;
- and
- printhead positioning means operatively connected to said mounting means for adjusting a position of said printhead along the media axis at an end of each scan of said carriage along the carriage axis, such that dots printed by the plurality of printing elements in a sequence of a first scan and a second scan of the print carriage are interleaved along the media axis and are separated along the media axis by one-half of the predetermined printing element dot pitch.
A method of operating a printer including a printhead having a plurality of printing elements spaced apart by a predetermined printing element dot pitch along a media axis, the method comprising the steps of:
- positioning the printhead at a first position along the media axis;
- moving the printhead along a carriage axis with the printhead at the first position alone the media axis and printing first dots with the plurality of printing elements, said first dots being separated along the media axis by the predetermined printing element dot pitch;
- positioning the printhead at a second position along the media axis, the second position being selected such that dots printed with the printing elements with the printhead at the second position will be interleaved along the media axis with the dots printed with the printhead at the first position and dots printed with the printhead at the first position and dots printed with the printhead at the second position will be separated along the media axis by one-half of the predetermined printing element dot pitch;
- and
- moving the printhead along the carriage axis with the printhead at the second position alone the media axis and printing second dots with the printing elements, said second dots being separated along the media axis by the predetermined printing element dot pitch;
- whereby the first dots and the second dots form a dot pattern that includes dots that are separated along the media axis by one-half the predetermined printing element dot pitch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.