Seiko Epson Corporation

Seiko Epson Corportion

Jun Hoshii

Takashi Ito

Ayako Kobayashi

Takamitsu Kondo

Kimitaka Kamijo

Tomoyuki Kondo

Eishin Yoshikawa

Yukimitsu Fujimori

Masanori Ishida

Takashi Tamai

Takashi Doi

Fumio Tokutomi

Hisanori Nakajima

Keiichi Noto

Kazuhisa Saka

Provided is a printing method for performing printing using a serial printer. In printing of a print image including a line image, the printing method includes a raster line forming step of forming each of raster lines configuring the image, by a plurality of pass operations. In the formation of each of the raster lines, when printing of a region corresponding to edge pixels of the line image by a first pass operation, which is one of the plurality of pass operations, is first printing, and printing of the region corresponding to the edge pixels by a second pass operation that is different from the first pass operation, of the plurality of pass operations, is second printing, a brightness of the printing by the second printing is higher than a brightness of the printing by the first printing.

Printing method in which each of raster lines configuring line image is formed by plurality of pass operations, printing device that forms each of raster lines configuring line image by plurality of pass operations, and printing system

A recording system for recording a recording image based on image data by repeating a pass operation in which a nozzle column discharges ink while reciprocating relatively to a recording medium in a main scanning direction to form dots on the recording medium, and a conveying operation of relatively moving the nozzle column and the recording medium in a sub-scanning direction crossing the main scanning direction, the recording system including an assigning section for obtaining a plurality of halftone data which is generated with respect to the same area of the image data based on the image data, and which corresponds to the ink of a predetermined color, and then assigning each of the halftone data obtained to the pass operations in the same direction in reciprocation in the main scanning direction in a predetermined recording area.

Recording device for recording recording image by nozzle set reciprocating relative to recording medium, image processing device for generating recording data for recording recording image by nozzle set reciprocating relative to recording medium and recording method for recording recording image by nozzle set reciprocating relative to recording medium

A density correction value determining method of correcting a printing density in a printing apparatus that performs printing by ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles onto a medium, includes printing a test pattern by ejecting ink from the plurality of nozzles, acquiring captured image data by imaging printed test pattern, calculating a first density correction value for bringing the printing density closer to a predetermined reference value set when one raster is formed by ejecting ink from each single nozzle of the plurality of nozzles based on a density of acquired captured image data, and calculating a second density correction value for bringing the printing density closer to a predetermined reference value set when one raster is formed by combining different nozzles of the plurality of nozzles based on the calculated first density correction value.

Determining method of density correction value, printing apparatus, printing method, and method of correcting printing density

A printing control apparatus is configured to control printing using a print head provided with, on different head chips, a plurality of nozzle groups including a first nozzle group and a second nozzle group configured to eject ink of a same color, with at least a portion of a formation range of each of the nozzle groups overlapping each other. The different head chips is disposed in a direction that crosses an alignment direction of nozzles. The printing control apparatus includes a halftone processing unit configured to generate halftone data specifying a presence or absence of dots for each pixel serving as data to drive the nozzle groups based on image data. The halftone processing unit is configured to generate first halftone data to drive the first nozzle group and second halftone data to drive the second nozzle group in an uncorrelated manner.

Printing control apparatus, printing apparatus, and printing contol method

In an image forming apparatus (an ink jet printer), in a sub scanning direction, when an area in arrange of a nozzle at an end portion of a head () to a nozzle at a predetermined distance is set as a predetermined area, and a medium is transported in a certain amount by using the head (), a scan portion, and a transport portion so as to form an image on medium sheet (), the number of times of scanning for forming a dot array which is formed by using the nozzles included in the predetermined area is more than the number of times of the scanning for forming a dot array which does not use the nozzle in the predetermined area, and the number of times of the scanning for forming the dot array by using the nozzles included in the predetermined area is at least three times.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method

An ink jet printer according to an aspect of the invention includes a heat platen that is capable of heating in a state of supporting recording sheets, a head that discharges ink onto the recording sheets from a nozzle plate in which nozzles are provided, a temperature sensor that acquires temperature information of the nozzle plate, a main scanning portion that performs a main scanning operation that relatively moves the head in a main scanning direction with respect to the recording sheets, a sub-scanning portion that performs a sub-scan operation that relatively moves the recording sheets in a sub-scanning direction, which intersects the main scanning direction, with respect to the head, and a determination portion that determines the necessity of a heating operation, in which the heat platen heats the nozzle plate, on the basis of the temperature information before printing.

Printing apparatus and printing method

A printer includes an ejecting head, and a printing control section, in which the ejecting head ejects ink onto the sheet while performing scanning of a plurality of times with respect to a predetermined raster line which extends in the scanning direction. In addition, the printing control section sets a nozzle use rate of a first complementing nozzle which is higher than a nozzle use rate in normal operation as a nozzle use rate of a complementing nozzle which ejects ink to a pixel to which a defective nozzle should eject ink on the sheet, instead of the defective nozzle, when the defective nozzle is detected, and sets a nozzle use rate of a second complementing nozzle which is lower than that of the first complementing nozzle as a nozzle use rate of a supplementary complementing nozzle which is the peripheral nozzle of the complementing nozzle.

Liquid ejecting apparatus and liquid ejecting method

Each pass is configured such that liquid droplet discharging characteristics of each pass are not superimposed, and when an average number of pass operations which are necessary in formation of dot rows lined up in a main scanning direction is x, k&#x3c;x&#x3c;k+1.

Liquid droplet discharging apparatus and liquid droplet discharging method

Provided is a liquid droplet discharging method including: based on a first correction quantity table correlating to discharging of the first nozzle row, a second correction quantity table correlating to discharging of the second nozzle row, a relative usage ratio of the first nozzle row to the second nozzle row (=a usage rate of the first nozzle row/a usage rate of the second nozzle row), and a third correction quantity table correlating to discharging of a predetermined value Hk which is the relative usage ratio, correcting a liquid droplet quantity, per a unit area in print media, discharged from the first nozzle row and/or the second nozzle row.

Liquid droplet discharging method and liquid droplet discharging apparatus

A print control device includes: a control section that controls a print head that includes first nozzles and second nozzles, wherein the control section causes a first region that is expressed by liquid ejected only by the first nozzles, a second region that is expressed by the liquid ejected from the first nozzles and the second nozzles depending on a first usage rate of the first nozzles and the second nozzles, and a third region that connects the first region and the second region, and is expressed by the liquid ejected from the first nozzles and the second nozzles depending on a second usage rate to be printed onto a printing medium, and wherein the second usage rate is a value that is obtained by increasing a usage rate of the second nozzles from a first region side to a second region side.

Print control device and printer adjusting method

A printing apparatus includes (A) a head that discharges first ink and second ink having a color different from that of the first ink, (B) an optical sensor that includes a light source and a light receiving section, and (C) a controller. In the printing apparatus, when the controller corrects a discharge amount of the second ink, the controller causes the head to discharge the first ink to form a first pattern on a medium, causes the optical sensor to detect light reflected from the first pattern, causes the head to discharge the second ink to form a plurality of second patterns having different gradation values on the first pattern, and causes the optical sensor to detect light reflected from the second pattern.

An optical sensor that outputs a signal based on reflected light intensity is moved in a second direction orthogonal to a transport direction of a medium. A pattern containing patches representing a plurality of gradation levels between a first gradation level and a second gradation level denser than the first is formed such that each patch is located at a different position in the second direction. Signals of the patch of the second gradation level and another patch are outputted. Then signals are outputted with respect to positions in the second direction in a blank region onto which ink has not been dispensed, one of the positions being located at the same position as the patch of the second gradation level, the other position being located at the another patch, so as to correct a dispensing amount corresponding to the gradation level of the another patch.

Printing apparatus and calibration method

A printer performs calibration in which a reference primary color ink is mixed with at least one additional primary color ink to approximate a predetermined target primary color. The printer includes an acquisition section, a predicting section, an optimizing section and a printing unit. The acquisition section acquires spectral reflectances of the reference primary color ink printed on a base, the additional primary color ink printed on the base, and the base. The predicting section calculates predicted spectral reflectance of a mixture of the primary color inks by dividing a product of the spectral reflectances of the primary color inks by the spectral reflectance of the base raised to the power obtained by subtracting 1 from a total number of the inks. The optimizing section optimizes an ink-amount set of the mixture so that the predicted spectral reflectance is approximated to spectral reflectance of the target primary color.

Printer and printing method on the basis of calibration of primary colors mixture

A printing control device that specifies to a printing apparatus a coloring material volume set which is a combination of usage amounts of coloring materials when the printing apparatus executes printing by depositing a plurality of coloring materials onto a recording medium, including: a print data acquisition unit that acquires print data of pixels having an information area for storing an index associated with the coloring material volume set; a color conversion unit that acquires the coloring material volume set corresponding to the index stored in the pixel; and a printing control unit that executes printing by specifying to the printing apparatus the coloring material volume set acquired by the color conversion unit.

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Shiojiri, Japan

Jun Hoshii