Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Other

Masashi Ueda

Akira Sago

Yumio Matsumoto

Kiyoharu Hayakawa

Yasunari Yoshida

Ryohei Komiya

Masahiro Nishihara

Osamu Takagi

Masaki Kondo

Masashi Kuno

Kiyotaka Ohara

Masaaki Hibino

Masaaki Hori

Koji Kobayakawa

Naoki Hagai

Takemi Yamamoto

Ryuji Yamada

Hirotoshi Maehira

Shunichi Higashiyama

Jun Sakai

Kenji Sakakibara

Tomohiko Hasegawa

Yukichi Sawaki

Yuji Asano

Kazuo Sangyoji

Shigeki Ishikawa

Seiji Yoshida

Osamu Tagaki

Masashi Suzuki

Shota Morikawa

Shigeyuki Hayashi

Kazumasa Makino

Michitoshi Akao

Toshio Sakai

Yoichi Horaguchi

Takeshi Watanabe

Shin Hasegawa

Kazuhide Sawada

Takeshi Izaki

Yoshihisa Kayanaka

Tokunori Katoh

Hiroshi Koie

Tomoya Kondo

Keiko Suzuki

Aya Kimura

Kazuhiko Matsuda

Takuma Kuno

Morimasa Mano

Yuki Asano

Kenji Sakaibara

Nakai Hitoshi

Masashi Okamoto

When a print data creation program is executed by a computer, the computer performs the following processing. The computer acquires image data representing a print image from a storage. The computer divides the print image represented by the acquired image data into a plurality of divided images of a desired resolution. The computer creates print data to be printed by a print device, from at least one of the plurality of divided images.

Non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions, print device, and print data creation method

Color conversion information is used for carrying out a color conversion process to generate a converted image data. The color conversion information is configured as follows. Within a range from a predetermined first reference color value to a black input color value on a specific line, the closer to the black input color value a noticed input color value is, the larger a first output component value becomes. Within a first dark range, the closer to the black input color value the noticed input color value is, the smaller a second output component value becomes. Within a first light range, the closer to the black input color value the noticed input color value is, the larger the second output component value becomes. Within a first intermediate range, the second output component value is constant.

Image processing apparatus configuring color conversion information based on how close input color values are to black in dark and light ranges

A liquid ejection head has a plurality of nozzles and has a plurality of drive elements configured to cause the plurality of nozzles to eject liquid. A temperature sensor is configured to detect a temperature of the liquid ejection head. A heat generator generates heat when the plurality of drive elements is driven. A controller is configured to: perform a determining process of determining, based on a particular parameter indicative of a temperature difference, whether the printer is in a first state where the temperature difference is constant or in a second state where the temperature difference varies with time, the temperature difference being a temperature difference between the temperature detected by the temperature sensor and an actual temperature of the liquid ejection head; and control the plurality of drive elements based on a determination result in the determining process.

Printer

An image processing method determines a number of smoothing times Sso that the number of times, at which the corrected tone values will be modified, increases as the amount of modification, by which the corrected tone values are required to be modified, increases; and modifies the corrected tone values by dividing the modification amount by the number of smoothing times Sso that the actual printing characteristics R[i] predicted to be actually obtained approach the ideal characteristics T[i] in steps of the smoothing times S. Therefore, the image processing method can prevent an abrupt change in the characteristics of printed color density levels before and after the corrected tone values are modified, even when the modification amount of the corrected tone values is large.

Image processing method

In the control device, the generating portion generates control data to be used by the controlling portion to form a specific image. The generating portion generates the control data such that in a first case where the printing execution unit forms the end image, the head drive portion drives the print head to eject ink droplet only from nozzles classified into the downstream nozzle group toward the downstream end region, that in a second case where the printing execution unit forms the center image the head drive portion drives the print head to eject ink droplet from the plurality of nozzles including the upstream and downstream nozzle groups toward the center region, and that, in the first case, the first nozzle does not eject ink droplet toward the center region for forming a specific part, and such that in the second case, the second nozzle ejects ink droplet for forming the specific part.

Control device for controlling printing execution unit

An ink reduction rate is set in accordance with the type of image and the type of recording medium. For example, when a photograph is to be printed on a glossy paper with low resolution, the ink reduction rate is set to 10%. When a photograph is to be printed on a plain paper with low resolution, the ink reduction rate is set to 25%. When a document is to be printed with low resolution, the ink reduction rate is set to 50%, irrespective of the type of recording paper.

Data processing apparatus capable of calibrating print data to reduce ink consumption

An image forming apparatus comprises an image data generating unit configured to convert a tone of an input value which indicates a density of a pixel by using a predetermined dither matrix and generate image data. The image forming apparatus further comprises a drive source and a gear configured to transmit a drive force from the drive source to an image carrier. The dither matrix includes a plurality of sub-matrixes arranged in a predetermined rule and a dot in each of the plurality of the sub-matrixes grows from a corresponding original point. The image forming apparatus satisfies a relation of (1) a&#x2267;0.08 mm and b/a&#x3c;0.80, or (2) a&#x3c;0.08 mm and b/a&#x3e;1.27, where 'a' is a travel distance of a printing medium per tooth of the gear in a secondary scanning direction orthogonal to the primary scanning direction, and 'b' is a distance between the corresponding original points of a pair of the dots formed on the printing medium apart from each other in the secondary scanning direction on the basis of a pair of the sub-matrixes adjacent to each other in the primary scanning direction in the dither matrix.

Image forming apparatus and image forming system

An image forming apparatus comprises an image data generating unit configured to convert a tone of an input value which indicates a density of a pixel by using a predetermined dither matrix and generate image data. The image forming apparatus further comprises a drive source and a gear configured to transmit a drive force from the drive source to an image carrier. The dither matrix includes a plurality of sub-matrixes arranged in a predetermined rule and a dot in each of the plurality of the sub-matrixes grows from a corresponding original point. The image forming apparatus satisfies a relation of (1) a&#x2267;0.24 mm and b/a&#x3c;0.78, or (2) a&#x3c;0.24 mm and b/a&#x3e;1.2, where 'a' is a travel distance of a printing medium per tooth of the gear in a secondary scanning direction orthogonal to the primary scanning direction, and 'b' is a component in the secondary scanning direction of a distance between the original point of the dot derived from a first sub-matrix and the original point of the dot derived from a second sub-matrix.

An inkjet recording device includes an ink cartridge receiving unit configured to receive an ink cartridge, an inkjet head configured to eject ink, an ink passage configured to transport the ink from the ink cartridge to the inkjet head, a detecting unit configured to detect a type of ink cartridge received in the ink cartridge receiving unit, a waste ink collection unit including an absorber configured to absorb the ink, a discharging unit configured to discharge the ink remaining in the ink passage at one of a first discharging rate and a second discharging rate, and a controller configured to control the discharging unit to discharge an amount of ink. The controller is configured to control the discharging unit to discharge ink at one of the first discharging rate and the second discharging rate corresponding to the type of the ink cartridge detected by the detecting unit.

Inkjet printer

An image-processing system for printing an image based on original image data. The storing unit stores at least one look-up table in association with at least one printing condition. The at least one look-up table is used to convert a color value in original image data into a limited color value that limits a total quantity of ink to be used in printing. The detecting unit detects, as a printing condition, at least one of a type of color material and a type of recording medium which are used for printing operation. The converting unit converts the color value data into the limited color value by using a look-up table that is assigned with a printing condition corresponding to the detected printing condition.

Image-processing system

A print method and apparatus for minimizing effects of error in repositioning during printing process may include generating successive scans of a recording head, wherein the scans may partially overlap to account for the error in repositioning. As an example, after the recording head makes one scan across the document being printed, the document (or the head) may be repositioned for the next scan so that several print elements of the recording head are aligned to lie between certain rows of dots printed in the previous scan, resulting in a higher number of rows in the overlapping portion of the scans. Additional features may include varying the row/column arrangement of dots in the overlap portion, or performing error diffusion and correction for different areas of resolution in the scans.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a recording head including a plurality of printing elements each of which offsets at least in a auxiliary-scanning direction one another and ejects droplets toward a recording medium. The image forming apparatus further includes a main scanning unit configured to scan the recording head, relative to the recording medium, in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the auxiliary-scanning direction. The image forming apparatus still further includes a auxiliary-scanning unit configured to scan the recording head, relative to the recording medium, in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the auxiliary-scanning direction. The image forming apparatus still yet further includes a controller configured to control the printing head, the main scanning unit and the auxiliary-scanning unit to form dots in rows arranged in the auxiliary-scanning direction at a first predetermined interval, and columns arranged in the main scanning direction at a second predetermined interval while performing main scans and sub-scans repeatedly. The controller controls the printing head, the main scanning unit and the auxiliary-scanning unit to form first dots in an area of the printing medium at first alternate columns by a first main scan, and to form second dots in the area by a second main scan at second alternate columns different from the first alternate columns. The second dots are shifted, relative to the first dots, a first predetermined distance smaller the first predetermined interval.

When executing a color conversion process, a CPU determines whether a CMYK conversion indication flag Fc has been set. If the flag Fc has been set, then the CPU reads data of an RGB-CMYK conversion table and performs a cube interpolation process by using the RGB-CMYK conversion table. On the other hand, if the flag Fc has not been set, then the CPU reads data of an RGB-RGB conversion table and performs a triangular pyramid interpolation process by using the RGB-RGB conversion table.

Color-converting device

In an image-forming method, a device reads line data L for one line and determines whether the resolution of the line data L in the main scanning direction is greater than or equal to a threshold th. If the resolution is greater than or equal to the threshold th, then a multiple line process is performed on the line data L to divide this data into two sets of partial line data Land L. The partial line data Land Lare used to form two lines at locations shifted from each other in the sub-scanning direction. However, if the resolution of the line data L is smaller than the threshold th, then a single line process is performed to divide the line data L into two segments Qand Q. The segments Qand Qof the line data L are used to form a single line at the same location in the sub-scanning direction by printing the segment Qin the first main scanning operation and by printing the segment Qin the second main scanning operation.

Image-forming method

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Nagoya, Japan

Masashi Ueda