Adjustment of shift of dot position of printer
First Claim
1. A print control apparatus that supplies print data to a printing device, which creates dots and thereby carries out printing, said printing device comprising:
- a print head having multiple nozzles, from which ink is ejected;
a scanning module that carries out main scan and sub-scan of said print head; and
a driving module that drives said print head during each scan and causes at least two different types of dots, a first dot and a second dot, to be created at different timings in respective pixels, said print control apparatus comprising;
a test pattern data generation module that generates test pattern data used for printing a predetermined test pattern, wherein the test pattern is a patch pattern, in which dots are created at a preset recording rate in a predetermined area and a fraction of the first dot and the second dot adjoining to each other in either of a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction is significantly greater than a fraction of the first dots or the second dots adjoining to each other.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The object of the present invention is to adjust relative misalignment of recording positions of dots created at different timings with high accuracy, thereby enhancing the printing quality.
A patch pattern is used as a test pattern for adjusting misalignment of recording positions between a first dot and a second dot created at different timings. In the test pattern, a fraction of the first dot and the second dot adjoining to each other in either a main scanning direction or a sub-scanning direction may be significantly greater than a fraction of the first dots or the second dots adjoining to each other. In the test pattern, substantially equal numbers of the first dot and the second dot may be created with a substantially equivalent dispersibility over a practically whole area.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. A print control apparatus that supplies print data to a printing device, which creates dots and thereby carries out printing,
said printing device comprising: -
a print head having multiple nozzles, from which ink is ejected;
a scanning module that carries out main scan and sub-scan of said print head; and
a driving module that drives said print head during each scan and causes at least two different types of dots, a first dot and a second dot, to be created at different timings in respective pixels, said print control apparatus comprising;
a test pattern data generation module that generates test pattern data used for printing a predetermined test pattern, wherein the test pattern is a patch pattern, in which dots are created at a preset recording rate in a predetermined area and a fraction of the first dot and the second dot adjoining to each other in either of a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction is significantly greater than a fraction of the first dots or the second dots adjoining to each other. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 17, 18)
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11. A print control apparatus that supplies print data to a printing device, which creates dots and thereby carries out printing,
said printing device comprising: -
a print head having multiple nozzles, from which ink is ejected;
a scanning module that carries out main scan and sub-scan of said print head; and
a driving module that drives said print head during each scan and causes at least two different types of dots, a first dot and a second dot, to be created at different timings in respective pixels, said print control apparatus comprising;
a test pattern data generation module that generates test pattern data used for printing a predetermined test pattern, wherein the test pattern is a patch pattern, in which dots are created at a preset recording rate in a predetermined area and substantially equal numbers of the first dot and the second dot are created with a substantially equivalent dispersibility over a practically whole area. - View Dependent Claims (13, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 43)
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12. A print control apparatus that controls a printing device, said printing device comprising a print head with multiple nozzles, from which ink is ejected, and creating dots on a printing medium while carrying out main scan and sub-scan of said print head relative to the printing medium, said print control apparatus comprising:
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a print mode setting module that selects and sets a print mode to be used for printing, among a plurality of print modes including a test pattern mode, which is used to print a predetermined test pattern; and
a print control module that, in response to setting of the test pattern mode, controls said printing device to carry out the main scan and the sub-scan in a different condition from that in the other print modes.
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14. A method of adjusting misalignment of recording positions between a first dot and a second dot, which are created at different timings by a printing device that comprises a print head having multiple nozzles for ejecting ink and creates dots on a printing medium with said print head, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) driving said print head at a plurality of preset different timings and thereby printing a plurality of test patterns to allow detection of the misalignment of recording positions between the first dot and the second dot;
(b) selecting an optimum test pattern among the plurality of printed test patterns; and
(c) setting a drive timing of said print head corresponding to the selected test pattern, in said step (a), the test pattern being a patch pattern, in which dots are created at a preset recording rate in a predetermined area and a fraction of the first dot and the second dot adjoining to each other in either of a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction is significantly greater than a fraction of the first dots or the second dots adjoining to each other.
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15. A method of adjusting misalignment of recording positions between a first dot and a second dot, which are created at different timings by a printing device that comprises a print head having multiple nozzles for ejecting ink and creates dots on a printing medium with said print head, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) driving said print head at a plurality of preset different timings and thereby printing a plurality of test patterns to allow detection of the misalignment of recording positions between the first dot and the second dot;
(b) selecting an optimum test pattern among the plurality of printed test patterns; and
(c) setting a drive timing of said print head corresponding to the selected test pattern, in said step (a), the test pattern being a patch pattern, in which dots are created at a preset recording rate in a predetermined area and substantially equal numbers of the first dot and the second dot are created with a substantially equivalent dispersibility over a practically whole area.
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16. A method of adjusting misalignment of recording positions between a first dot and a second dot, which are created at different timings by a printing device that comprises a print head having multiple nozzles for ejecting ink and creates dots on a printing medium with said print head, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) inputting an instruction that specifies either of execution and non-execution of adjustment;
(b) in response to the instruction that specifies execution of the adjustment, printing a predetermined test pattern, which is formed by main scan and sub-scan in a condition different from that in a standard print mode, at a plurality of preset different drive timings of said print head;
(c) selecting an optimum test pattern among the plurality of printed test patterns; and
(d) setting a drive timing of said print head corresponding to the selected test pattern.
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19. A print control apparatus that supplies print data to a printing device, which creates dots and thereby carries out printing,
said printing device comprising: -
a print head having multiple nozzles, from which ink is ejected;
a scanning module that carries out main scan and sub-scan of said print head; and
a driving module that drives said print head during each scan and causes at least two different types of dots, a first dot and a second dot, to be created at different timings in respective pixels, said print control apparatus comprising;
a test pattern data generation module that generates test pattern data used for printing a predetermined test pattern, wherein the test pattern is a patch pattern, in which substantially equal numbers of the first dot and the second dot are created at a preset recording rate in a predetermined area and a first area having a higher density of the first dot than a density of the second dot and a second area having a higher density of the second dot than a density of the first dot have a substantially equivalent size and are mixed in a main scanning direction and in a sub-scanning direction. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42)
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31. A print control apparatus that controls a printing device, said printing device comprising a print head with multiple nozzles, from which ink is ejected, and creating dots on a printing medium while carrying out main scan and sub-scan of said print head relative to the printing medium, said print control apparatus comprising:
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a print mode setting module that selects and sets a print mode to be used for printing, among a plurality of print modes including a test pattern mode, which is used to print a predetermined test pattern; and
a print control module that, in response to setting of the test pattern mode, causes video data of the test pattern to be subjected to a halftoning process in a condition proper to the test pattern, thus generating print data to be supplied to said printing device. - View Dependent Claims (32)
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33. A test pattern used to adjust misalignment of recording positions between a first dot and a second dot created at different timings,
said test pattern being a patch pattern, in which substantially equal numbers of the first dot and the second dot are created at a preset recording rate in a predetermined area and a first area having a higher density of the first dot than a density of the second dot and a second area having a higher density of the second dot than a density of the first dot are mixed in a two-dimensional manner.
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34. A method of generating test pattern data, which is used to adjust misalignment of recording positions between a first dot and a second dot, which are created at different timings by a printing device that comprises a print head having multiple nozzles for ejecting ink and creates dots on a printing medium with said print head, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) setting video data of a patched test pattern having a preset area;
(b) specifying a dot recording method; and
(c) carrying out a halftoning process with a diffusion matrix, which diffuses a tone error arising in a pixel of interest currently processed to peripheral non-processed pixels with preset weights, wherein the diffusion matrix causes a first area having a higher density of the first dot than a density of the second dot and a second area having a higher density of the second dot than a density of the first dot to be mixed in a main scanning direction and in a sub-scanning direction.
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38. A method of adjusting misalignment of recording positions between a first dot and a second dot, which are created at different timings by a printing device that comprises a print head having multiple nozzles for ejecting ink and creates dots on a printing medium with said print head, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) driving said print head at a plurality of preset different timings and thereby printing a plurality of test patterns to allow detection of the misalignment of recording positions between the first dot and the second dot;
(b) selecting an optimum test pattern among the plurality of printed test patterns; and
(c) setting a drive timing of said print head corresponding to the selected test pattern, in said step (a), the test pattern being a patch pattern, in which substantially equal numbers of the first dot and the second dot are created at a preset recording rate in a predetermined area and a first area having a higher density of the first dot than a density of the second dot and a second area having a higher density of the second dot than a density of the first dot are mixed in a main scanning direction and in a sub-scanning direction.
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40. A method of adjusting misalignment of recording positions between a first dot and a second dot, which are created at different timings by a printing device that comprises a print head having multiple nozzles for ejecting ink and creates dots on a printing medium with said print head, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) inputting an instruction that specifies either of execution and non-execution of adjustment;
(b) in response to the instruction that specifies execution of the adjustment, printing a test pattern at a plurality of preset different drive timings of said print head, the test pattern being obtained by causing video data of the test pattern to be subjected to a halftoning process in a condition proper to the test pattern;
(c) selecting an optimum test pattern among the plurality of printed test patterns; and
(d) setting a drive timing of said print head corresponding to the selected test pattern.
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Specification