Printing position adjusting method and printing system

• US 7,735,949 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2008
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Edamura, Tetsuya, Takahashi, Kiichiro, Nakano, Takatoshi, Teshigawara, Minoru, Maru, Akiko, Murayama, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Thinh H
• Application Number:
  US12/021,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20080211854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 347/14, 347/15, 347/19, 347/41, 347/43, 347/116, 347/16
• US Class Current: 347/14
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 19/145 Dot misalignment correction
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2135 Alignment of dots

Abstract

The present invention relates to a printing position adjusting method capable of performing dot adjustment value acquisition processing that can accommodate diversified user needs of recent years, and a printing system capable of achieving the adjusting method. The printing position adjusting method according to the present invention provides a plurality of types of dot adjustment value acquisition processing capable of acquiring an adjustment value for matching printing positions, and enables selection of a single appropriate dot adjustment value acquisition processing type among the plurality of types of dot adjustment value acquisition processing according to the type of the print medium to be used. Consequently, a user will be able to suitably execute dot adjustment value acquisition processing with high accuracy in correspondence with the desired high level of quality.

Claims

1. A method of adjusting the relative position of a first dot and a second dot being printed on a print medium comprising the steps of:

selecting either a lower accuracy position adjustment mode for use with a first print medium or a higher accuracy position adjustment mode for use with a further print medium, a print medium type of which is different from that of the first print medium,

acquiring an adjustment value using the selected position adjustment mode, and

adjusting the relative position of the second dot relative to the first dot using the acquired adjustment value.

2. The according to claim 1, wherein the first print medium is plain paper, and the further print medium is coated paper.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dots are printed using a print head which performs printing during reciprocal scans, the first dot being a dot that is printed during a forward scan of the print head, and the second dot being a dot that is printed during a backward scan of the print head.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dots are printed using a print head including a first orifice array and a second orifice array, the first dot being a dot that is printed by said first orifice array, and the second dot being a dot that is printed by said second orifice array.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

setting whether the higher accuracy position adjustment mode will be executed in the event that the lower accuracy position adjustment mode is selected in said selecting step, and

re-executing the higher accuracy position adjustment mode in the event that the execution of the higher accuracy position adjustment mode is set in said setting step.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein if an adjustment value using the lower accuracy dot position adjustment mode has been acquired, a further adjustment value is acquired using a first adjustment value in the higher accuracy position adjustment mode.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein a first adjustment value and a further adjustment value are adjustment values for adjusting the printing position of the second dot using the first dot as a reference.

8. A host apparatus connectable to a printing apparatus capable of acquiring an adjustment value for adjusting a relative positional relationship on a print medium of a first dot and a second dot among a plurality of dots printed on the print medium, said host apparatus comprising:

a selection unit that causes selection of either one of a first dot adjustment value acquisition mode in which the printing apparatus acquires, using a first print medium, a first adjustment value for adjusting the positional relationship and a second dot adjustment value acquisition mode in which the printing apparatus acquires, using a second print medium, a print medium type of which is different from that of the first print medium, a second adjustment value that enables adjustment of the positional relationship at a higher adjustment accuracy than the first adjustment value; and

a transmission unit that transmits information on the selected dot adjustment value acquisition mode to said printing apparatus.

9. A printing system capable of adjusting the relative position of a first dot and a second dot being printed on a print medium comprising:

a selecting unit configured to select, or to allow a user to select, either a lower accuracy position adjustment mode for use with a first print medium or a higher accuracy position adjustment mode for use with a further print medium, a print medium type of which is different from that of the first print medium,

an acquisition unit configured to acquire an adjustment value using the selected position adjustment mode,

a printing unit capable of printing dots, and

an adjustment unit adapted to adjust the relative position of a second dot relative to a first dot using the acquired adjustment value.

10. A computer readable storage medium storing a program which when loaded into a computer and executed performs the following method of adjusting the relative position of a first dot and a second dot being printed on a print medium:

selecting either a lower accuracy position adjustment mode for use with a first print medium or a higher accuracy position adjustment mode for use with a further print medium, a print medium type of which is different from that of the first print medium,

acquiring an adjustment value using the selected position adjustment mode, and

adjusting the relative position of the second dot relative to the first dot using the acquired adjustment value.