Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Hinako Ojiro

Takeshi Yazawa

Yuji Konno

Makoto Torigoe

Hirokazu Tanaka

Toshiyuki Chikuma

Masashi Hayashi

Kei Yoshizawa

Hiroshi Tajika

Hiroshi Taira

In a color mode, among clear ink data CLand CL, only the data CLis set to a uniform use amount of 20%, while the use amount for the data CLis set to zero. Meanwhile, in a monochrome photo mode, the data CLindicates a usage of 10% to 40% near a white point, but starting at the intermediate gradations the data CLuse amount decreases while the data CLuse amount increases, with a data CLuse amount of 20% near a black point. In so doing, it is possible to sufficiently suppress bronzing in the color mode where coloring ink data exists, without imparting a particularly strong unnatural look except for specific colors. Meanwhile, in the monochrome photo mode where coloring ink data does not exist, high-level suppression of bronzing is possible, at the cost of a slight reduction in the glossiness of the printed material.

Image processing apparatus, inkjet printing apparatus, and inkjet printing method

Provided is an inkjet printing apparatus that, when performing multi-pass printing using pigmented ink and image enhancing liquid for adjusting the glossiness, is capable of outputting a high-quality image in which gloss unevenness due to displacement of the printing position cannot be noticed. In order to accomplish this, dot arrangement data is generated based on input image data so that the dot arrangement of image enhancing liquid includes a greater low-frequency component in the spatial frequency than the dot arrangement of colored ink on a print medium. As a result, it is possible to suppress gloss unevenness even when printing position displacement occurs, while at the same time suitably suppressing a feeling of graininess in colored ink.

Inkjet printing apparatus

In a color mode, the image quality improving liquid is set to the same rate of 20% for all input signal values. Meanwhile, in a monochrome mode, the image quality improving liquid is set to a rate of 30% in the highlight region, and the ink rate gradually decreases starting from the intermediate tones and proceeding towards the high-density region. Thus, the optimal printing method and usage rate for image quality improving liquid can be adjusted in accordance with the image quality characteristics of the color mode and the monochrome mode. As a result, it is possible to reduce color change in specular light while maintaining at least a certain level of image clarity in both modes, and thus favorably print both color images and monochrome images.

Provided is an ink jet printing apparatus that, without causing an increase in apparatus size, can print an image having high evenness in both of image clarity and glossiness regardless a gradation or gamut of the image. For this purpose, on the basis of input image data, pieces of multivalued color data respectively corresponding to colored inks, and first multivalued data and second multivalued data that correspond to image enhancing liquid are generated. On a print medium, the colored inks and the image enhancing liquid according to the first multivalued data are printed at nearly the same timing, and after the printing of them has been completed, the image enhancing liquid according to the second multivalued data is printed. In doing so, gloss properties appearing on the print medium can be made to fall within certain ranges, respectively, independently of input image data.

Image processing apparatus and image processing method for printing an image using colored ink and clear liquid

A printing apparatus comprising, a printhead including an element array in which a plurality of printing elements are arrayed, scanning unit configured to reciprocally scan the printhead, driving unit configured to time-divisionally drive the printing elements, conveyance unit configured to convey a printing medium, and setting unit configured to set a driving order, wherein the conveyance unit performs a first conveyance operation of conveying the printing medium by a conveyance amount which is an integer multiple of a width of the group of the time-divisional driving, and a second conveyance operation of conveying the printing medium by a conveyance amount which is not an integer multiple of the width of the group, and the setting unit sets the driving order in the time-divisional driving for each scan based on the conveyance amount by the conveyance unit.

Printing apparatus and processing method thereof

The use amount of clear ink is set to minimize the hue difference &#x394;&#x3b8;s&#x2212;d from each of the colors corresponding to input signal values. The use amount of the clear ink to provide the minimum hue difference &#x394;&#x3b8;s&#x2212;d is varied depending on the use amount of color ink used for the color corresponding to the input signal value. A color conversion table having output values of the use amount and ink color data corresponding to the use amount is set. The color conversion in such a relationship is performed, whereby the bronzing color is recognized as a color close to the print color. As a result, undesired bronzing is lessened, so that degradation in image quality can be suppressed.

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Wynnewood, PA, United States of America

Hinako Ojiro