Mask-printing apparatus and method including inspection of printed material and re-printing step

A mask printing apparatus, comprising:

• an object supporting device which supports an object;
• a printing device which prints, through a mask having at least one through-hole formed through a thickness thereof, a printing material on the object supported by the object supporting device;
• an inspecting device which inspects the printing material printed on at least one portion of the object through said at least one through-hole of the mask;
• and
• a re-printing commanding device which commands the printing device to re-print, when the inspecting device finds that an amount of the printing material printed on said at least one portion of the object is short, the printing material on said at least one portion of the object through said at least one through-hole of the mask to compensate for the short amount of the printing material.

A method of printing a printing material on an object, comprising the steps of:

• printing the printing material on the object through a mask having at least one through-hole formed through a thickness thereof,
• inspecting the printing material printed on at least one portion of the object through said at least one through-hole of the mask;
• and
• re-printing, when the inspection shows that an amount of the printing material printed on said at least one portion of the object is short, the printing material on said at least one portion of the object through said at least one through-hole of the mask to compensate for the short amount of the printing material,
• wherein the re-printing step comprises changing at least one printing condition employed in the printing step, so that an amount of the printing material that would be squeezed, in the re-printing step, into said at least one through-hole on an assumption that said at least one through-hole is empty is smaller than the amount of the printing material squeezed into said at least one through-hole in the printing step.

A mask printing apparatus, comprising:

• an object supporting device which supports an object;
• a printing device which prints, through a mask having at least one through-hole formed through a thickness thereof, a printing material on the object supported by the object supporting device;
• an inspecting device which inspects the printing material printed on at least one portion of the object through said at least one through-hole of the mask;
• and
• a re-printing commanding device which commands the printing device to reprint, when the inspecting device finds that an amount of the printing material printed on said at least one portion of the object is short, the printing material on said at least one portion of the object through said at least one through-hole of the mask to compensate for the short amount of the printing material,
• wherein the re-printing commanding device commands the printing device to change at least one printing condition employed for the printing, so that an amount of the printing material that would be squeezed, for the re-printing, into said at least one through-hole on an assumption that said at least one through-hole is empty is smaller than the amount of the printing material squeezed into said at least one through-hole for the printing.