Dot recording method and dot recording device

A method of recording dots on a surface of a printing medium with a dot recording head while carrying out main scan in a direction substantially perpendicular to a sub-scanning direction, the dot recording head having a dot-forming element array including a plurality of dot-forming elements for forming a plurality of dots of an identical color arranged at a pitch of k dots in the sub-scanning direction, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) driving at least one of the dot recording head and the printing medium to carry out main scan;
• (b) driving at least part of the plurality of dot-forming elements to form dots in the course of the main scan;
• and
• (c) driving at least one of the dot recording head and the printing medium every time when the main scan is completed, thereby carrying out sub-scan;
• wherein the pitch k of the dot-forming elements is expressed as a product m·n of two integers m and n (where m and n are integers of no less than 2);
• and
• wherein the sub-scan feed in the step (c) is executed by plural sub-scan feed sets each consisting of m sub-scan feeds;
• and
• wherein
• when feed amounts of the m sub-scan feeds in each sub-scan feed set are expressed as Li dots (where i is an integer of 1 to m),
• the feed amounts Li (i=1 to (m−1)) at first through (m−1)-th sub-scan feeds are established so that a remainder obtained by dividing each feed amount Li by the pitch k is equal to the integer n;
• and
• a feed amount Lm in the m-th sub-scan is established so that a remainder obtained by dividing the feed amount Lm by the pitch k is an integer that is different from a value n·j that is j times the integer n (where j denotes an arbitrary integer).

A computer program product storing a computer program for causing a printing apparatus to record dots on a surface of a printing medium while carrying out main scan in a direction substantially perpendicular to a sub-scanning direction, the printing apparatus comprising a dot recording head having a dot-forming element array including a plurality of dot-forming elements for forming a plurality of dots of an identical color arranged at a pitch of k dots in the sub-scanning direction, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable medium;
• and
• a computer program stored on the computer readable medium for controlling the printing apparatus according to a specific dot recording mode that specifies a dot recording scheme,
• wherein, in the specific dot recording mode,
• the pitch k of the dot-forming elements is expressed as a product m·n of two integers m and n (where m and n are integers of no less than 2);
• the sub-scan feed is executed by plural sub-scan feed sets each consisting of m sub-scan feeds;
• and
• when feed amounts of the m sub-scan feeds in each sub-scan feed set are expressed as Li dots (where i is an integer of 1 to m),
• the feed amounts Li (i=1 to (m−1)) at first through (m−1)-th sub-scan feeds are established so that a remainder obtained by dividing each feed amount Li by the pitch k is equal to the integer n;
• and
• a feed amount Lm in the m-th sub-scan is established so that a remainder obtained by dividing the feed amount Lm by the pitch k is an integer that is different from a value n·j that is j times the integer n (where j denotes an arbitrary integer).