Printing device, printing method and program thereof

• US 8,928,934 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2014
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kakutani, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Allen H
• Application Number:
  US14/246,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20140218431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 274 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.8, 358/1.9, 358/1.14, 358/1.15, 358/3.06, 358/3.13, 347/9, 347/14, 347/15, 347/19, 347/41
• US Class Current: 358/1.8
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2121 characterised by dot size, e.g. combinations of printed dots of different diameter
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/10 by matrix printers G06K15/028 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/405 Halftoning, i.e. converting the picture signal of a continuous-tone original into a corresponding signal showing only two levels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/502 Reproducing the colour component signals dot-sequentially or simultaneously in a single or in adjacent picture-element positions

Abstract

A printing device includes the following features. The first dot group in which dots are formed based on the first printing condition and the second dot group in which dots are formed based on a printing condition which is different from the first printing condition are formed together in a common region. In the common region, when the printing is performed in a plurality of conditions such that a difference of the dot pitch between a formation position of dots belonging to the first pixel group and a formation position of dots belonging to the second pixel group is 2/720 inch to 5/720 inch, the change in CIEL*a*b* of the printed image is within the preliminary determined range.

Claims

1. A printing device for printing an output print image by forming dots in pixels arranged on a printing medium based on an input image data, the printing device comprising:

a printing unit including a print head for performing a color printing, the printing unit prints the output print image such that formation of the dots in a common region is divided into at least first and second pixel groups

wherein when printing is performed in each of a plurality of conditions of which a relative position between the first pixel group and the second pixel group is different, at least one of following conditions is satisfied;

(A) when the input image data is yellow (RGB value;

R=G=255, B=0 to 64, when RGB value is 8 bit conversion), color difference in CIEL*a*b* color space of the output print image in each of the plurality of conditions is less than value 2 as a change of b*;

(B) when the input image data is magenta (RGB value;

R=B=255, G=0 to 64, when RGB value is 8 bit conversion), the color difference in CIEL*a*b* color space of the output print image in each of the plurality of conditions is less than value 0.5 as a change of L* or less than value 0.5 as a change of a*; and

(C) when the input image data is cyan (RGB value;

G=B=255, R=0 to 64, when RGB value is 8 bit conversion), the color difference in CIEL*a*b* color space of the output print image in each of the plurality of conditions is less than value 0.5 as a change of L*.

2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein in the plurality of conditions, a difference of a dot pitch between a formation position of one dot belonging to the first pixel group and a formation position of dot, which corresponds to the one dot and should be adjacent to the one dot, belonging to the second pixel group is 2/720 inch to 5/720 inch.

3. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the print head includes a dot formation element arranged in a pitch corresponding to a print resolution in a width direction of the print medium,

while the printing unit feeds the print medium in a direction intersecting the width direction of the print head, the image is formed by using the print head, and

the first pixel group includes dots formed by the dot formation element arranged in a predetermined position in a feeding direction of the print medium of the print head, and the second pixel group includes dots formed by the dot formation element arranged in a position different from the predetermined position in the feeding direction of the print medium of the print head.

4. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the print head is capable of moving relatively in a main scanning direction as the width direction of the print medium, the printing head comprises a plurality of nozzles to discharge ink on the print medium, the nozzles are arranged in a direction intersecting the main scanning direction as a nozzle line, and a plurality of nozzle lines apart from each other is constituted in the main scanning direction,

the printing unit forms an image by repeating the main scanning and a secondary scanning as a relative movement of the print medium in a direction intersecting the scan direction,

the first and second pixel groups have at least one of relationships of following (I), (II), and (III);

(I) the first pixel group includes dots formed during forward action in the main scanning direction of the print head, and the second pixel group includes dots formed during reverse action in the main scanning direction of the print head;

(II) a pixel group includes dots which are formed by the nozzle lines different from each other among the plurality of nozzle lines; and

(III) the first pixel group includes dots formed by one main scanning of the print head, and the second pixel group includes dots formed by anther main scanning different from the one main scanning of the print head.

5. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of conditions is a condition that the dot pitch increases and an occurrence of variation of dot overlapping between the first and second pixel groups converges, and when printing is performed in each of the plurality of conditions including the condition, at least one of following conditions is satisfied;

(a) when the input image data is yellow (RGB value;

R=G=255, B=0 to 64, when RGB value is 8 bit conversion), color difference of the output print image in each of the plurality of conditions is less than value 1 in the b*;

(b) when the input image data is magenta (RGB value;

R=B=255, G=0 to 64, when RGB value is 8 bit conversion), the color difference of the output print image in each of the plurality of conditions is less than value 0.3 in the L* or less than value 0.3 in the a*; and

(c) when the input image data is cyan (RGB value;

G=B=255, R=0 to 64, when RGB value is 8 bit conversion), the color difference of the output print image in each of the plurality of conditions is less than value 0.3 in the L*.

6. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the print head is capable of forming more than one type of dots, which are more than two different types in size, in one pixel as the dot formation corresponding to the pixel.

7. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein in addition to color printing by forming multiple color dots, the print head performs single color printing in the same color phase.

8. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein in spatial frequency region, a distribution of the dots formed in the common region has noise characteristics possessing a peak located in higher-frequency side than lower-frequency region which is less than the predetermined spatial frequency.

9. The printing device according to claim 8, wherein the noise characteristics are a blue noise characteristic or a green noise characteristic.

10. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the distribution of the dots formed in the common region has the distribution in a dot concentration form.

11. A printing method for performing color printing of an output print image by forming dots in pixels arranged on a print medium based on an input image data, the printing method comprising:

a printing process including performing printing of the output print image such that formation of the dots in a common region is divided into at least first and second pixel groups;

wherein the printing process includes performing in each of a plurality of conditions of which a relative position between the first pixel group and the second pixel group is different, at least one of following conditions is satisfied;

(A) when the input image data is yellow (RGB value;

R=G=255, B=0 to 64, when RGB value is 8 bit conversion), color difference in CIEL*a*b* color space of the output print image in each of the plurality of conditions is less than value 2 as a change of b*;

(B) when the input image data is magenta (RGB value;

R=B=255, G=0 to 64, when RGB value is 8 bit conversion), the color difference in CIEL*a*b* color space of the output print image in each of the plurality of conditions is less than value 0.5 as a change of L* or less than value 0.5 as a change of a*; and

(C) when the input image data is cyan (RGB value;

G=B=255, R=0 to 64, when RGB value is 8 bit conversion), the color difference in CIEL*a*b* color space of the output print image in each of the plurality of conditions is less than value 0.5 as a change of L*.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program executed by a computer to perform color printing of an output print image by forming dots in pixels arranged on a print medium comprising:

a printing function including performing printing of the output print image such that formation of the dots in a common region is divided into at least first and second pixel groups;

wherein the printing function includes performing in each of a plurality of conditions of which a relative position between the first pixel group and the second pixel group is different, at least one of following conditions is satisfied;

(A) when the input image data is yellow (RGB value;

R=G=255, B=0 to 64, when RGB value is 8 bit conversion), color difference in CIEL*a*b* color space of the output print image in each of/he plurality of conditions is less than value 2 as a change of b*;

(B) when the input image data is magenta (RGB value;

R=B=255, G=0 to 64, when RGB value is 8 bit conversion), the color difference in CIEL*a*b* color space of the output print image in each of the plurality of conditions is less than value 0.5 as a change of L* or less than value 0.5 as a change of a*; and

(C) when the input image data is cyan (RGB value;

G=B=255, R=0 to 64, when RGB value is 8 bit conversion), the color difference in CIEL*a*b* color space of the output print image in each of the plurality of conditions is less than value 0.5 as a change of L*.

13. A printing system including a computer and a printing device connected with the computer comprising:

the printing device including a printing unit that prints an output print image by forming dots in pixels arranged on a printing medium based on an input image data such that formation of the dots in a common region is divided into at least first and second pixel groups;

wherein when printing is performed in each of a plurality of conditions of which a relative position between the first pixel group and the second pixel group is different, at least one of following conditions is satisfied;

(A) when the input image data is yellow (RGB value;

R=0=255, B=0 to 64, when RGB value is 8 bit conversion), color difference in CIEL*a*b* color space of the output print image in each of the plurality of conditions is less than value 2 as a change of b*;

(B) when the input image data is magenta (RGB value;

R=B=255, G=0 to 64, when RGB value is 8 bit conversion), the color difference in CIEL*a*b* color space of the output print image in each of the plurality of conditions is less than value 0.5 as a change of L* or less than value 0.5 as a change of a*; and

(C) when the input image data is cyan (RGB value;

G=B=255, R=0 to 64, when RGB value is 8 bit conversion), the color difference in CIEL*a*b* color space of the output print image in each of the plurality of conditions is less than value 0.5 as a change of L*.