Test patterns for optimizing nozzle alignment of an ink-jet marking engine

A method comprising:

• selecting a marking engine comprising rows of nozzles that eject ink onto a print medium, wherein the rows are separated from each other along a Y direction, and each row of nozzles extends in an X direction that is in-plane with the Y direction;
• and
• directing the marking engine to print multiple bands of a test pattern, wherein each band is printed by:
• selecting nozzles in a first row at regularly spaced intervals;
• selecting nozzles in a second row that occupy adjacent X positions to the selected nozzles of the first row;
• and
• ejecting continuous lines of ink from the selected nozzles in the first row and the selected nozzles in the second row onto a print medium to form a band comprising multiple evenly spaced marks separated by empty space, each mark comprising a first continuous line from a nozzle in the first row and a second continuous line from a nozzle in the second row, at least a portion of the second continuous line shares Y coordinates with at least a portion of the first continuous line, and
• each band of the test pattern is printed by ejecting ink from nozzles in a different combination of nozzles.

A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying programmed instructions which, when executed by a processor, are operable for performing a method comprising:

• selecting a marking engine comprising rows of nozzles that eject ink onto a print medium, wherein the rows are separated from each other along a Y direction, and each row of nozzles extends in an X direction that is in-plane with the Y direction;
• and
• directing the marking engine to print multiple bands of a test pattern, wherein each band is printed by:
• selecting nozzles in a first row at regularly spaced intervals;
• selecting nozzles in a second row that occupy adjacent X positions to the selected nozzles of the first row;
• and
• ejecting continuous lines of ink from the selected nozzles in the first row and the selected nozzles in the second row onto a print medium to form a band comprising multiple evenly spaced marks separated by empty space, each mark comprising a first continuous line from a nozzle in the first row and a second continuous line from a nozzle in the second row, at least a portion of the second continuous line shares Y coordinates with at least a portion of the first continuous line, and
• each band of the test pattern is printed by ejecting ink from nozzles in a different combination of nozzles.