US 8,506,038 B2Granted

Method and system for aligning printheads that eject clear ink in an inkjet printer

AssigneeXerox Corporation

InventorsHoward A. Mizes, David A. Mantell, Joseph C. Sheflin, Michael C. Mongeon, Michael J. Levy, Charles D. Rizzolo, Jeffrey J. Folkins

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

patentgrep

Loading patent…

Abstract

A method enables an operator to detect misalignment of printheads that eject clear ink in an inkjet printer. The method prints a first test pattern with a first color of ink and then prints a second test pattern of clear ink on top of the first test pattern. The ink of the first and the second test patterns is then spread to enable the clear ink to be dispersed in interstitial spaces in the ink of the first color. An operator is then able to detect the spatial relationship of predetermined marks in the second test pattern to predetermined marks in the first test pattern. The predetermined marks of the first and the second test patterns are arranged to enable an operator to detect a misalignment distance and the inkjet printer uses the misalignment distance entered by the operator to adjust the alignment of the printheads that eject clear ink.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A method of aligning printheads that eject clear ink in an inkjet printer comprising:

printing a first test pattern with ink having a first color on recording media as the recording media moves in a process direction past at least one printhead that ejects the ink having the first color, the printing of the first test pattern including printing a plurality of rows of a first predetermined mark on the recording media with ink drops of the first color separated from one another by at least one pixel position in a cross-process direction;
printing a second test pattern with clear ink on the recording media as the recording media moves in the process direction past at least one printhead that ejects the clear ink, the second test pattern being printed over the first test pattern and the printing of the second test pattern including printing a plurality of rows of a second predetermined mark on the recording media with clear ink drops positioned between the ink drops of the first color, the second predetermined mark being different than the first predetermined mark;
receiving data identifying a distance indicative of a misalignment of the at least one printhead that ejects the clear ink, the distance corresponding to a position of a portion of the second test pattern on the recording media;
and
operating with a controller at least one actuator operatively connected to the at least one printhead that ejects clear ink, the controller operating the at least one actuator with reference to the misalignment identifying data to adjust alignment of the at least one printhead that ejects clear ink with reference to the at least one printhead that eject the ink having the first color.

2 more elements

An inkjet printer comprising:

at least one printhead having an array of inkjets from which ink having a first color is ejected;
at least one printhead having an array of inkjets from which clear ink is ejected;
a user interface through which data is entered for processing within the inkjet printer;
at least one actuator operatively connected to the at least one printhead that ejects clear ink;
and
a controller operatively connect to the at least one printhead that ejects ink having the first color, the at least one printhead that ejects clear ink, the at least one actuator, and the user interface, the controller being configured:
to operate the at least one printhead that ejects ink having the first color to print a first test pattern with ink having the first color on recording media moving in a process direction past the at least one printhead that ejects the ink having the first color, the first test pattern having a plurality of rows of a first predetermined mark on the recording media with ink drops of the first color separated from one another by at least one pixel position in a cross-process direction;
to operate the at least one printhead that ejects clear ink to print a second test pattern with clear ink on the recording media as the recording media moves in the process direction past at least one printhead that ejects the clear ink, the controller operating the at least one printhead that ejects clear ink to print the second test pattern over the first test pattern, the second test pattern having a plurality of rows of a second predetermined mark on the recording media with clear ink drops positioned between the ink drops of the first color, the second predetermined mark being different than the first predetermined mark;
and
to receive from the user interface data identifying a distance indicative of a misalignment of the at least one printhead that ejects the clear ink, the distance corresponding to a position of a portion of the second test pattern on the recording media, and to operate the at least one actuator operatively connected to the at least one printhead that ejects clear ink, the controller operating the at least one actuator with reference to the misalignment identifying data to adjust alignment of the at least one printhead that ejects clear ink with reference to the at least one printhead that ejects the ink having the first color.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.