Xerox Corporation

Martin L Frachioni

Stuart Alan Schweid

Christopher M Mieney

David Alan Vankouwenberg

David M Gurak

David A VanKouwenberg

Raymond J Clark

Paul J McConville

David Allen Mantell

Linn C Hoover

Erwin Ruiz

David Jon Metcalfe

Joseph M Ferrara, Jr

Roger Lee Triplett

Christine Ann Steurrys

Xin Yang

David R Stookey

Dale R Breed

A method of inkjet printer operation produces a security pattern in a printed document. In one embodiment, the security feature is printed in the document as a line target with printheads that have been rotated so the rows of inkjets in the printhead are not aligned in the cross-process direction. The line target in the original document has a frequency response to that differs from a copy formed with a device that does not have rotated printheads. In another embodiment, a sneeze pattern is modified by shifting pixels of at least one color separation in the sneeze pattern in a cross-process direction or a process direction. A copy is identified because it does not contain the shifted pixels.

System and method for using printhead rotation to secure inkjet printing

An MFD is disclosed. For example, the MFD includes a color printhead to dispense color printing fluid, an enhancement printhead to dispense a three-dimensional (3D) print material, a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions. The instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operations that include printing a two-dimensional (2D) image on a substrate and printing a 3D object on the 2D image printed on the substrate such that colors of the 2D image provide a desired color for a desired portion of the 3D object.

Three dimensional enhancement of two dimensional printed images

A method of operating a direct-to-object printer adjusts a pixel density of a portion of contone image data for an image to be printed on a surface of a tapered object. The contone image data is also filtered with a stochastic halftone filer to produce binary image data for the image to be printed on the tapered object. The adjustment in the pixel density for the portion of the image to be printed on the portion of the object having a circumference that is different than another portion of the surface at the uppermost portion of the image produces a more uniform appearance in the resulting printed image.

Method for adjusting printing operations in a direct-to-object printer having limited drop size variation printheads

An apparatus is disclosed that automatically generates a set of recommended printer settingsfor a print jobsubmitted to a printer. The apparatus comprises at least one processor which executes computer program code from at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to: receive a submitted print job for a printer, the submitted print job including content to be printed by the printer and a set of user input printer settings for the printer; analyze the content to be printed by the printer; designate a classification for the submitted print job based on said analysis; obtain historical data from a knowledge database, the historical data being related to prior print jobs run on the printer and indicating printer settings used when running the prior print jobs on the printer; and output a set of recommended printer settings based at least in part on one or more of the received print job, the designated classification and the obtained historical data.

System and method for optimizing a printer setup

A direct-to-object printer is configured to adjust a pixel density of a portion of contone image data for an image to be printed on a surface of a tapered object. The controller of the printer also filters the contone image data with a stochastic halftone filer to produce binary image data for the image to be printed on the tapered object. The adjustment in the pixel density for the portion of the image to be printed on the portion of the object having a circumference that is different than another portion of the surface at the uppermost portion of the image produces a more uniform appearance in the resulting printed image.

System and method for adjusting printing operations in a direct-to-object printer having limited drop size variation printheads

A method is disclosed. For example, the method executed by a processor of a multi-function device (MFD) includes tracking a machine state of the MFD, predicting a potential defect based on a determination that the machine state is associated with a defect class of a plurality of different defect classes, determining a maintenance routine associated with the defect class, and executing the maintenance routine to prevent the potential defect.

Machine state and defect detection meta data to execute maintenance routines on a multi-function device

Examples of the preferred embodiments use an ink quantity metric (e.g., lightness L*, darkness, image density, line width) of printed content to determine thickness of fountain solution applied by a fountain solution applicator on an imaging member surface and/or determine image forming device real-time image forming modifications for subsequent printings. For example, in real-time during the printing of a print job, a sensor (e.g., spectrometer) may measure the ink quantity metric of the current printing on print substrate. Based on this measurement of printed content output from the image forming device, the image forming device may adjust image forming (e.g., fountain solution deposition flow rate) to reach or maintain a preferred fountain solution thickness on the imaging member surface for subsequent (e.g., next) printings of the print job.

Method for monitoring a fountain solution layer in an image forming device

According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided a method of measuring the amount of fountain solution using a hot wire anemometer. Fountain solution thickness is measured using the flow rate of vaporized fountain solution and comparing to baseline air only flow rate. The vaporized measurement is correlated with the baseline utilizing specific heat, density and enthalpy values and keeping velocity of fluid constant. Changes in the measurement will then be related to the specific heat, density and enthalpy. Density can be back calculated to yield volume and knowing the area of the image being printed give a real time thickness value.

Fountain solution thickness measurement using a hot wire anemometer in a lithography printing system

The present disclosure relates to using color calibration to improve and increase the accuracy of interpreting color-sensitive results from test strips made of substrates like paper. This is accomplished via a diagnostic test unit including a substrate, at least one region on the substrate, a reagent placed within the region to react, and a series of color legends on the substrate. Different reagent samples may be placed on the separate regions of a substrate for testing. An imaging device is used to capture the reaction results. More precise readings can be obtained by comparing the reaction results to the color legends to determine the measured property of the analyte.

Methods and devices for improved accuracy of test results

A direct-to-object printer includes a plurality of imaging devices that generates image data of an object secured in a holder before the holder and the object pass a plurality of printheads for printing an ink image on the object. A controller receives the image data and converts it to an object profile. The controller operates ejectors in the printheads with reference to the object profile to attenuate inconsistent ink image density and ink image distortion.

System and method for adjusting printhead operations in a direct-to-object printer having a fixed printhead array

A method of operating a three-dimensional object printer to form printed images on a surface of an object with increased color resolution includes generating a plurality of low-precision tone reproduction curves (TRCs) from a plurality of high-precision color conversion entries that are modified by a plurality of values in a one-to-one correspondence to the TRCs. The method further comprises generating modified contone image and halftone image data for each plane using one of the low-precision TRCs and forming the image from multiple printed layers of ink corresponding to the plurality of planes.

System and method for tone reproduction curve color resolution enhancement in a three-dimensional object printer

A method and system compensates for malfunctioning inkjets using contone values for an image prior to the contone values being rendered for printing of the image. The method generates contone values for color space components in a compensation level for each malfunctioning inkjet. The contone values in each compensation level are modified with reference to a profile selected for each malfunctioning inkjet and with reference to the modification of the contone values in the vicinity of each malfunctioning with the compensative level. The modified contone values of each compensation level are merged with the contone values in the vicinity of each malfunctioning inkjet. The contone values are then rendered and used to operate inkjets for forming an ink image on an ink receiving member.

System and method for compensating for malfunctioning inkjets

An inkjet printer estimates ink usage in the printer with reference to image pixels and a history of inkjet firing for each inkjet. The printer includes an apparatus that generates an ink mass for each image pixel with reference to the image pixel and a predetermined number of previously ejected image pixels and identifies a total ink mass measurement for a printhead with reference to the ink masses generated for the image pixels of an image to be printed by the inkjet printer.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Martin L Frachioni