Two-stage media determination system for inkjet printing

A method of classifying incoming media entering a printing mechanism, comprising:

• adjusting an optical scanner to an initial intensity;
• thereafter, optically scanning the incoming media to gather specular and diffuse reflectance data;
• determining whether useable or unusable data was gathered;
• if the data is unusable, readjusting the scanner intensity and repeating said scanning and determining;
• if the data is usable, analyzing the specular and diffuse reflectance data through comparison with known values for different media types to classify the incoming media as one of said types, and selecting a printmode corresponding thereto;
• wherein each of said scanning repetitions comprises a scanning operation, and said readjusting comprises reducing the scanner intensity from the intensity used during an immediately previous scanning operation;
• wherein said readjusting continues upon continued gathering of unusable data until said reducing reaches a selected minimum intensity value;
• and
• thereafter, said selecting step comprises selecting a default printmode comprising a plain paper printmode.

A method of classifying incoming media entering a printing mechanism, comprising:

• adjusting an optical scanner to an initial intensity;
• thereafter, optically scanning the incoming media to gather specular and diffuse reflectance data;
• determining whether useable or unusable data was gathered;
• if the data is unusable, readjusting the scanner intensity and repeating said scanning and determining;
• if the data is usable, analyzing the specular and diffuse reflectance data through comparison with known values for different media types to classify the incoming media as one of said types, and selecting a printmode corresponding thereto;
• wherein said adjusting comprises adjusting the initial intensity value piously determined during a calibration sequence which occurs upon printing a calibration sheet.

A method of classifying incoming media entering a printing mechanism, comprising:

• printing a calibration sheet;
• during said printing conducting a calibration sequence at a selected intensity;
• optically scanning the incoming media at an initial scanner intensity to gather reflectance data, wherein said initial scanner intensity comprises said selected intensity;
• determining whether useable or unusable data was gathered;
• if the data is unusable, readjusting the scanner intensity and repeating the scanning and determining steps;
• and
• if the data is usable, analyzing the data through comparison with known values for different media types to classify the incoming media as one of said types, and selecting a printmode corresponding thereto.