Seiko Epson Corporation

Masaki Nakayama

Yoichiro Maki

Provided is a serial printer including: a reading unit configured to read a raster image from a manuscript medium; an analysis unit configured to derive a horizontal distribution of pixels darker than a background color of the manuscript medium in each band including a predetermined number of lines with respect to the raster image; a threshold derivation unit configured to derive a fixed threshold according to a length L of a section in which a cumulative frequency of the horizontal distribution of an edge of the band does not exceed a predetermined temporary threshold; and a movement distance control unit configured to reduce the movement distance of a printing head according to a section in which the cumulative frequency of the horizontal distribution from the edge of the band exceeds the fixed threshold.

Serial printer for reducing printer head movement

An image processing apparatus that generates printing data comprising a scanner mechanism that reads an image of a document to set the read image as image data; a printing-pixel number distribution grasping member that sets a band as one unit, and grasps distribution of the number of printing pixels in a main scanning direction of the serial printer in every band; a processing-band setting member that sequentially sets each band as a processing band; a reference position setting member that sets an analyzing band, obtains a cumulative value and sets a start reference position when the cumulative value exceeds a predetermined range, and obtains a cumulative value and sets a end reference position when the cumulative value exceeds the predetermine range; and a printing-data generating member that generates printing data by setting a printing area based on the start reference position and the end reference position.

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Tomi, Japan

Masaki Nakayama