Printing involving halftone reproduction with different density inks in pixel block units
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorYukimitsu Fujimori
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A print area is divided into pixel blocks, each consisting of a plurality of pixels. Tone reproduction is performed with different density inks for cyan and magenta by a method in which the pixels in each pixel block are correlated on a one-on-one basis with the ejection positions of a plurality of different density inks, and different density dots are formed at each pixel position. Large dots extending across a plurality of pixels are formed with yellow and black inks.
Claims14
A printing device for printing images on a printing medium during main scanning, comprising:
- a print head having a plurality of nozzle arrays for ejecting multiple types of ink, and a plurality of ejection drive elements for causing ink drops to be ejected from nozzles of the plurality of nozzle arrays;
- a main scan drive unit for performing main scans by causing the printing medium and/or the print head to move;
- a sub-scan drive unit for performing sub-scans by causing the printing medium and/or the print head to move;
- a head drive unit for sending drive signals to the ejection drive elements in accordance with given print signals;
- and
- a control unit for controlling each of the above units,
- wherein the print head comprises N nozzle arrays for ejecting N types of identically hued inks, respectively, for at least for one hue, N being an integer of 2 or greater, the identically hued inks having substantially a same hue but mutually different densities;
- the control unit has a specific print mode in which tone reproduction using the N types of identically hued inks is performed such that (i) a print area is divided into pixel blocks each consisting of N pixels, and (ii) the N pixels in each pixel block are assigned to ejection positions of the N types of identically hued inks, respectively.
A printing method for printing images on a printing medium during main scanning, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a print head having N nozzle arrays for ejecting N types of identically hued inks for at least for one hue, N being an integer of 2 or greater, the identically hued inks having substantially a same hue but mutually different densities;
- and
- (b) printing an image using multiple types of inks including the N types of identically hued inks such that (i) a print area is divided into pixel blocks each consisting of N pixels, and (ii) the N pixels in each pixel block are assigned to ejection positions of the N types of identically hued inks, respectively.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.