Tektronix, Inc.

Joern B Eriksen

Donald R Titterington

Pierre A Radochonski

John S Moore

Howard V Goetz

Jeffrey J Anderson

James D Rise

Clark W Crawford

Edward F Burke

Michael Dale Stevens

Jerrold J Rogers

Paul A McManus

Michael D Jones

John M Kniffin

William W Gellatly

David L Mead

An ink-jet printer that prints using an interlace ratio of higher than 2:1. The print head has an internozzle spacing of N, while the interlace ratio n:1 is selected so that n is an integer divisor of N+2 or N+4 or is equal to N+1. Multiple interlaced images can be 'stitched' together by printing a first interlaced image, moving the print head and printing a second interlaced image such that the head of the second image overlaps with the tail of the first interlaced image.

Image interlacing and joining in a printer

Interleaved interlaced imaging

Improved color ink-jet printing is accomplished by an ink-jet nozzle array configuration (32, 110) which has an odd number of nozzles (34) that are uniformly spaced apart by two line widths (2 V) such that naturally interlaced printing is accomplished when a print head (54) employing the nozzle array configuration is moved in uniformly stepped intervals. A color ink-jet print head employing the array configuration further employs multiple horizontally spaced apart instances (30) of the array in which each array ejects a particular color of ink, and the nozzles of each array are aligned in the direction of scanning to eject ink toward a common band of lines. One printing method includes, following standard mode printing, moving the print medium one line width, disabling a first section of the nozzles, enabling a second section of the nozzles, shifting print data from the first section to the second section and printing closer to an edge of the print medium during a substantially last scan than would be possible without the disabling and shifting. Another printing method includes printing during four scans on even and odd numbered line sets in even and odd numbered pixel columns.

Ink-jet print head array and interlace method

Methods and apparatus for processing printed substrates having a phase change ink layer of non-uniform thickness are disclosed. Application of a combination of heat and pressure reorients the printed ink layer to provide a layer having a substantially uniform thickness and flat surface conformation, at least in the area of each discrete color. A release surface (55) is positioned adjacent the printed ink layer during processing. A resilient contact surface (56) is also provided to facilitate reorientation of the printed ink layer. Mechanical buffing of the processed, printed substrate improves image quality. Application of a light transmissive, protective coating that overlays the printed ink layer also improves image quality.

Method for processing substrates printed with phase-change inks

Printing is by an array of color-printing elements or nozzles in order to produce interlaced color printing while printing each line only once with each color. Print head array configurations for printing two, three and four colors include linear and parallel arrays. In one embodiment, a first color and a second color are printed on alternate lines of a first set of print lines. The first color and a third color are printed on alternate lines of a second set of print lines. Also, the second color and the third color are printed on alternate lines of a third set of print lines. By sequentially printing these consecutive sets of lines on a print medium, with each of the three pairs of colors, all of the lines of an image are printed once with each color. Other color-printing configurations are also shown.

Interlaced printing using spaced print arrays

Printing is by an array of color-printing elements or nozzles in order ot produce interlaced color printing while printing each line only once with each color. Print head array configurations for printing two, three and four colors include linear and parallel arrays. In one embodiment, a first color and a second color are printed on alternate lines of a first set of print lines. The first color and a third color are printed on alternate lines of a second set of print lines. Also, the second color and the third color are printed on alternate lines of a third set of print lines. By sequentially printing these consecutive sets of lines on a print medium, with each of the three pairs of colors, all of the lines of an image are printed once with each color. Other color-printing configurations are also shown.

Method and apparatus for interlaced multicolor printing

A color image copying system (10) includes a light modulator (12) that receives incident light rays emanating from a source (14) of light. The light modulator comprises a light dispersing apparatus (54) that disperses different wavelengths of the incident light rays to different locations on a focal surface (60). A filter mask (68) aligned with the focal surface transmits preselected wavelengths of the ultraviolet light and blocks light of all other wavelengths. Each of a set of light valves (86, 88, 90) receives a different wavelength of light transmitted by the filter mask and intensity modulates it in accordance with image pixel information provided by an information source (16). An optical focusing apparatus (56) focuses the intensity-modulated wavelengths of light to a relatively small location (20) on an image focal surface (22) which is aligned with a light-sensitive medium (24). The light focused at the location exposes the light-sensitive medium to each of the wavelengths of light for a particular period of time determined by the image pixel information. The location to which the intensity-modulated light is focused is sequentially aligned with adjacent regions of the light-sensitive medium in synchronism with the delivery of image pixel information corresponding to the adjacent regions. This process continues in pixel-by-pixel fashion across the surface of the light-sensitive medium to form a color image copy in a single exposure pass over such surface.

Color image copying system

Provided are an apparatus and a method for recording on a recording medium images from a fiber-optic CRT. The apparatus includes a recording medium transport system, control electronics and a first-in, first-out memory. The use of the first-in, first-out memory permits incremental recording which is not limited by relatively long mechanical transport settling times. In operation, N lines of data are input to the memory, line-by-line, as the transport system increments the position of the recording medium and during settling time. When the recording medium has come to rest, these N lines of data are output sequentially from the memory in a first-in, first-out basis, with the CRT incrementing each line vertically on the recording medium for the total of N lines for each increment of the recording medium by the transport system.

Method and apparatus for accelerating the recording rate of a CRT

An image quality enhancement scheme is disclosed wherein the image information associated with each line of an image source is transferred to one line of an image receiving medium a plurality of times, the quality of the image information transferred to one line of the image receiving medium gradually improving following each subsequent transfer. A fiber optic cathode ray tube (CRT) transfers the image information to the image receiving medium. An electron beam generator in the CRT traces a plurality of scan lines on the inner faceplate of the CRT. The image receiving medium scrolls across the face of the CRT in synchronism with the trace of each of the scan lines on the inner faceplate thereof. The image information associated with each line of the image source is transferred to the one line of the image receiving medium via the trace of each of the plurality of scan lines. Consequently, following each such transfer via the trace of each corresponding scan line, the quality of the image recorded on said one line of the image receiving medium is gradually improved.

Image transfer method and apparatus

A circuit within an image-forming system for enhancing the gray scale quality of a refreshed raster-scan presentation by causing the raster lines of successive frames of such presentation to be successively interlaced whether such frames are of single- or double-field composition. Also disclosed is a hard-copy device employing such a circuit.

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Oregon City, OR, United States of America

Joern B Eriksen