# US 9,517,634 B2 · Printing control apparatus and printing control method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,517,634 B2 - Document ID: US9517634B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/631,432 - Filed: 2015-02-25 - Published: 2015-09-17 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2014-03-12 - Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation - Applicants: Seiko Epson Corporation - Inventors: Takashi Kobayashi; Naoki Sudo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9517634B2 ## CPC - B41J 2/2054: {by the variation of dot disposition or characteristics, e.g. dot number density, dot shape} - B41J 2/17566: {Ink level or ink residue control} - B41J 2/2132: {Print quality control characterised by dot disposition, e.g. for reducing white stripes or banding (methods for local corrections by dot omission, image edge enhancement, or multi-pass mask selection G06K15/102; colour conversion H04N1/40)} - B41J 29/38: Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS ## Abstract A printing control apparatus is configured to use a recording head where a plurality of nozzles are arranged in a row formation with a predetermined pitch, and configured to perform interlace printing such that a resolution is equal to or more than a resolution that is based on the pitch when printing is performed due to ink droplets being discharged from each of the nozzles. The printing control apparatus includes a dischargeable amount acquiring section configured to determine a dischargeable amount per unit of time according to a remaining amount of ink in an ink cartridge, and a split printing control section configured to split a predetermined region in one band an odd number of times according to the dischargeable amount per unit of time, and configured to carry out interlace printing in each of split regions on an outward path and a return path. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A printing control apparatus configured to use a recording head where a plurality of nozzles are arranged in a row formation with a predetermined pitch, and configured to perform interlace printing on an outward path and a return path such that a resolution is equal to or more than a resolution that is based on the pitch when printing is performed due to supplying of ink being received from an ink cartridge and ink droplets being discharged from each of the nozzles, the printing control apparatus comprising: a dischargeable amount acquiring section configured to determine a dischargeable amount per one pass according to a remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge; and a split printing control section configured to split a predetermined region in one band an odd number of times according to the dischargeable amount per one pass by splitting the plurality of nozzles into an odd number of groups of nozzles with each group of nozzles including adjacent nozzles, and configured to carry out interlace printing in each of split regions on the outward path and the return path. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the split printing control section is configured to determine a number of splits according to the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the split printing control section is configured to split the predetermined region in one band the odd number of times according to a limit on power consumption, and is configured to carry out the interlace printing in each of the split regions on the outward path and the return path. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the split printing control section is configured to split the predetermined region in one band the odd number of times according to a limit on ink duty for a printing medium, and is configured to carry out the interlace printing in each of the split regions on the outward path and the return path. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the split printing control section is configured not to limit a number of times of splitting to the odd number of times in a case where ink of a target for printing is only a color with a predetermined brightness. ### Claim 6 A printing control method for using a recording head where a plurality of nozzles are arranged in a row formation with a predetermined pitch, and for performing interlace printing on an outward path and a return path such that a resolution is equal to or more than a resolution that is based on the pitch when printing is performed due to supplying of ink being received from an ink cartridge and ink droplets being discharged from each of the nozzles, the method comprising: determining a dischargeable amount per one pass according to a remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge; and splitting a predetermined region in one band an odd number of times according to the dischargeable amount per one pass by splitting the plurality of nozzles into an odd number of groups of nozzles with each group of nozzles including adjacent nozzles, and carrying out interlace printing in each of split regions on the outward path and the return path. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dischargeable amount acquiring section is further configured to determine the dischargeable amount per one pass according to the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge based on a predetermined correspondence relationship between the dischargeable amount and the remaining amount of ink. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The printing control method according to claim 6, wherein the determining is performed by determining the dischargeable amount per one pass according to the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge based on a predetermined correspondence relationship between the dischargeable amount and the remaining amount of ink.