Inkjet printing and method

A method of inkjet printing on print media, which print media is controllably moved along a printing path in a media transport direction, and using an inkjet print cartridge which is scanned repeatedly across the print media in a direction substantially perpendicular to the media transport direction, the inkjet print cartridge having an array of plural printing orifices and each scan providing for printing in a respective printing swath aligned with said array of plural printing orifices, the method compensating for apparent angularity from true parallelism between the array of plural printing orifices of the inkjet print cartridge and the media transport direction, this apparent angularity producing visual angularity artifacts in characters and images printed on the media, said method comprising steps of:

• testing for the presence of apparent angularity by printing opposed ones of a pair of scales in successive printing swaths on the print media;
• determining a measure of apparent angularity by misalignment of the pair of opposed scales;
• and then
• printing on the media while applying a compensatory angularity so that visual angular artifacts are substantially eliminated.

A method of inkjet printing, said method comprising steps of:

• providing a printer mechanism moving a sheet of print media controllably along a printing path;
• providing an inkjet print cartridge past which said sheet of print media is moved;
• providing the inkjet print cartridge with a print head having an array of plural printing orifices having a preferred angulation relative to the direction of print media movement along said printing path, the print head printing from said plural printing orifices into a printing swath on the print media aligned with the printing head;
• testing for the presence of apparent angularity between said preferred angulation of the direction of print media movement along said printing path by printing a pair of opposed scales in adjacent printing swaths for the print head each with the same direction of relative motion between said print media and said print cartridge;
• noting a degree of misalignment between said pair of opposed scales, and storing this degree of misalignment as a pixel count offset factor to be applied between successive printing swaths of the printing mechanism;
• printing successive printing swaths with said pixel offset factor applied in order to substantially eliminate visual angulation artifacts from the printing.

An inkjet printer which provides for substantially eliminating visual angular artifacts in printed images and characters printed with the printer, said printer comprising:

• a printer mechanism providing a printing path, and having a media transport device for moving print media controllably along said printing path;
• said printer mechanism providing for disposing an inkjet print cartridge adjacent to said print media transported along said printing path;
• said inkjet print cartridge having a print head defining an array of plural printing orifices, and the printing mechanism establishing a preferred angulation of said array of printing orifices relative to a direction of print media movement along said printing path, the print head printing fluid from said array of plural printing orifices into a printing swath on the print media aligned with the printing head;
• means for determining a presence and measure of apparent angularity between said preferred angulation and an actual angulation of the array of print orifices relative to the direction of print media transport along said printing path;
• and
• means for applying a compensatory angulation to printing in said printing swath relative to printing in an adjacent printing swath so as to substantially eliminate visual angular artifacts from printing performed with said printer.