Lasermaster Corporation

Lawrence J Luckis

Leonard R Steidel

John M Gilbert

A non-gray scale anti-aliasing method for smoothing one or more edges of an image to be printed by a binary imaging printer. The image is generated by rasterizing an ideal outline of the image using a processor means for processing a plurality of raster lines to form a pixel representation of the image to be communicated to the binary imaging printer. An ideal fill area representing the area inside the ideal outline for the pixel currently being processed is determined for each pixel in the raster line and then compared to at least a first and second comparison value. Based upon the comparison, a determination is made as to whether the pixel currently being processed will be turned on or turned off. In one embodiment, the comparison is made by the use of a lookup table having a set of predetermined comparison values that contain estimated fill values used by an accumulator to determine whether to selectively modify the pixel. In a different embodiment, the lookup table is replaced by using a fill function for translating the ideal fill value into the estimated fill value. In another embodiment, a control signal having a predetermined duty cycle is generated for all pixels within a boundary transition range defined by the first and second comparison values.

Duty cycle technique for a non-gray scale anti-aliasing method for laser

A line rasterization technique for a non-gray scale anti-aliasing method smoothes the edges of a single pixel width line image to be printed by a binary imaging printer. The line image is generated by rasterizing an ideal line image as a plurality of raster lines to form a pixel representation of the line image to be communicated to the binary imaging printer. For each vertical transition point created by the ideal line image crossing two adjacent raster lines, the present invention smooths the line image by selectively modifying the on and off states of one or more pixels in an adjacent raster line on either side of the vertical transition point. The pixel representation of the line image is then communicated to the printer such that the printer may print the smoothed line image.

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Prior Lake, MN, United States of America

Lawrence J Luckis