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US 8,711,424 B2Granted
Image processing apparatus, image printing apparatus and printing data generation method
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsToshiyuki Chikuma, Hidehiko Kanda
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an image processing apparatus, a data amount of printing data generated for each different size of dot is reduced. Specifically, in quantization to obtain data for each printing head, printing data for a large dot is set as data in which a bit number per pixel is two bits, and printing data for a medium or small dot is set as data in which a bit number per pixel is one bit. Thereby, a data amount per pixel can be reduced compared with data in which all bit numbers per pixel for the large, medium and small dots are equally two bits.
Claims8
An image processing apparatus comprising:
- a generating unit configured to generate print data for printing an image on a print medium by using a print head, wherein the print head is provided with a first nozzle array in which nozzles capable of ejecting ink droplets each having a first size are arranged and a second nozzle array in which nozzles capable of ejecting ink droplets each of which has a second size smaller than the first size and has a same color as the ink droplets ejected from the first nozzle array are arranged;
- and
- a controlling unit configured to control the print head to eject ink droplets based on the generated print data for printing the image on the print medium,
- wherein in a case that the controlling unit executes a first mode, the generating unit generates the print data so that a number of bits per unit pixel for ejecting ink droplets having the first size to the unit pixel is greater than a number of bits per unit pixel for ejecting ink droplets having the second size to the unit pixel, and
- wherein in a case that the controlling unit executes a second mode, the generating unit generates the print data so that the number of bits per unit pixel for ejecting ink droplets having the first size to the unit pixel is equal to the number of bits per unit pixel for ejecting ink droplets having the second size to the unit pixel.
2 more elements
An image processing method comprising:
- a generating step of generating print data for printing an image on a print medium by using a print head, wherein the print head is provided with a first nozzle array in which nozzles capable of ejecting ink droplets each having a first size are arranged and a second nozzle array in which nozzles capable of ejecting ink droplets each of which has a second size smaller than the first size and has a same color as the ink droplets ejected from the first nozzle array are arranged;
- and
- a controlling step of controlling the print head to eject ink droplets based on the generated print data for printing the image on the print medium,
- wherein in a case that a first mode is executed in the controlling step, the generating step generates the print data so that a number of bits per unit pixel for ejecting ink droplets having the first size to the unit pixel is greater than a number of bits per unit pixel for ejecting ink droplets having the second size to the unit pixel, and
- wherein in a case that a second mode is executed in the controlling step, the generating step generates the print data so that the number of bits per unit pixel for ejecting ink droplets having the first size to the unit pixel is equal to the number of bits per unit pixel for ejecting ink droplets having the second size to the unit pixel.
2 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program which causes a computer to execute:
- a generating step of generating print data for printing an image on a print medium by using a print head, wherein the print head is provided with a first nozzle array in which nozzles capable of ejecting ink droplets each having a first size are arranged and a second nozzle array in which nozzles capable of ejecting ink droplets each of which has a second size smaller than the first size and has a same color as the ink droplets ejected from the first nozzle array are arranged;
- and
- a controlling step of controlling the print head to eject ink droplets based on the generated print data for printing the image on the print medium,
- wherein in a case that a first mode is executed in the controlling step, the generating step generates the print data so that a number of bits per unit pixel for ejecting ink droplets having the first size to the unit pixel is greater than a number of bits per unit pixel for ejecting ink droplets having the second size to the unit pixel, and
- wherein in a case that a second mode is executed in the controlling step, the generating step generates the print data so that the number of bits per unit pixel for ejecting ink droplets having the first size to the unit pixel is equal to the number of bits per unit pixel for ejecting ink droplets having the second size to the unit pixel.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.