Ink-jet printing method and apparatus

An ink-jet printing method in which ink jetted from an ink nozzle of a print head is made to adhere to a recording medium to form a pixel on the recording medium, comprising the steps of:

• scanning the print head or the recording medium to effect relative movement of the print head and the recording medium;
• and
• successively jetting at least two inks of mutually different velocities from one ink nozzle of the print head at prescribed timings in accordance with scanning, in order to form a plurality of dots which form one pixel, wherein the ink of lower velocity is ejected first in the prescribed timings and the ink of higher velocity is ejected later in the prescribed timings,
• wherein a distance between the ink nozzle and the recording medium, the prescribed timings at which the at least two inks are jetted and the velocities at which the at least two inks are jetted are set to satisfy a predetermined relationship in order that the at least two inks successively jetted from the one ink nozzle in said jetting step at the prescribed timings will adhere to the recording medium within the one pixel.

An ink-jet printing apparatus in which ink jetted from an ink nozzle of a print head is made to adhere to a recording medium to form a pixel on the recording medium comprising:

• scanning means for scanning the print head or the recording medium to effect relative movement of the print head and the recording medium;
• and
• drive means being capable of successively jetting at least two inks of mutually different velocities from the one ink nozzle at prescribed timings while scanning by said scanning means in order to form one pixel;
• and
• control means for controlling to first jet an ink of relatively low velocity of the at least two inks.

An ink-jet printing method in which ink jetted from an ink nozzle of a print head is made to adhere to a recording medium to form a pixel on the recording medium, comprising the steps of:

• scanning the print head or the recording medium to effect relative movement of the print head and the recording medium;
• successively jetting at least two inks of mutually different velocities from the one ink nozzle at prescribed timings while scanning, in order to form one pixel;
• and
• controlling to first jet an ink of relatively low velocity of the at least two inks.