Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Mayuko Yamagata

Tsukasa Doi

Satoshi Seki

Hirokazu Tanaka

Junichi Nakagawa

Fumiko Suzuki

Kiichiro Takahashi

Gou Sasaki

Akitoshi Yamada

Masao Kato

Shinichi Miyazaki

Yusuke Hashii

Kouta Murasawa

Yugo Mochizuki

Tomoyuki Tenkawa

An object is to print a high quality image with resistance to print misalignment. To this end, the image processing apparatus generates quantized data for printing a first dot pattern and a second dot pattern in an overlapping manner. The first dot pattern and the second dot pattern are lattice patterns varying in a combination of two basis vectors. In a combined dot pattern obtained by combining the first and second dot patterns, there is a neighboring dot in which a dot in the first dot pattern and a dot in the second dot pattern are arranged at an interval smaller than a lattice spacing. The neighboring dot includes multiple neighboring dots varying in an approach direction.

Image processing method, image processing apparatus and storage medium generating a first dot pattern and a second dot pattern printed to overlap the first dot pattern by quantizing image data based on a threshold matrix

Formed is a dither pattern that makes it possible to output an image with excellent dot dispersibility and reduced graininess regardless of controls after quantization processing. To this end, an extended pattern in which multiple divided pixels correspond to each of multiple pixels included in quantization data and one or more of the multiple divided pixels are determined as dot-arrangeable-pixels in which dots can be printed is generated. Thereafter, the thresholds of the dither pattern are set based on the extended pattern in which the dots are arranged to obtain predetermined dispersibility.

Dither pattern forming method, image processing apparatus, and image processing method

A first dot pattern printed according to a result of quantization performed on a multi-valued grayscale value by using a first threshold matrix and a second dot pattern printed according to a result of quantization performed on multi-valued grayscale value by using a second threshold matrix are printed on a print medium in an overlapping manner. In order to generate the threshold matrices, a first initial pattern being a dot pattern corresponding to a first grayscale value and a second initial pattern being a dot pattern corresponding to a second grayscale value lower than the first grayscale value are generated for pixel regions of the first and second threshold matrices. Then, thresholds of the first and second threshold matrices are set such that dot patterns having continuity with the first and second initial patterns are obtained at grayscale values between the first and second grayscale values.

Threshold matrix generating method

Image processing method, image processing apparatus and storage medium

In a printing apparatus configured to print an image by bidirectional multipass printing while using multiple print element rows that apply color material of the same color, a high-quality image suppressed in hue unevenness and density unevenness is printed. To this end, the printing apparatus forms first and second dot patterns on a print medium in an overlapping manner. In the first dot pattern, dot arrays in which first dot groups are arranged at an interval Bare arranged in a nozzle arrangement direction while being shifted from each other by Cin a scanning direction of a print head. In the second dot pattern, dot arrays in which the first dot groups are arranged at the interval Bare arranged in a nozzle arrangement direction while being shifted from each other by Cin the scanning direction of the print head. Here, values of Cand Care different.

Printing method and printing apparatus

Recording data for recording an achromatic color image having a high lightness is generated as follows. A first color material and a second color material which has a hue complementary to that of the first color material are used to record the image. Recording data is generated such that a recording amount of the first color material and a recording amount of the second color material are larger than a recording amount of another color material, and such that a pixel where it is determined that the first color material is to be recorded and a pixel where it is determined that the second color material is to be recorded are at positions different from each other.

Image processing apparatus and method to generate recording data

An image printing apparatus can print an image in which graininess is suppressed while using a color material of light blue. To achieve this, the color material of light blue satisfies the following condition.&#x394;&#x2265;(&#x394;)&#x3e;0 and&#x394;&#x2265;(&#x394;)&#x3e;0Here, &#x394;Lrepresents a difference in lightness between cyan ink and a blank area, &#x394;Lrepresents a difference in lightness between magenta ink and the blank area, and &#x394;Lrepresents a difference in lightness between light blue ink and the blank area. Further, the color material of light blue satisfies the following condition.+()/2&#x2264;&#x2212;()/2Here, hrepresents a hue of the cyan ink, hrepresents a hue of the magenta ink, hrepresents a hue of the image printed with the cyan ink and the magenta ink in the same amount, and hrepresents a hue of the light blue ink.

Image printing apparatus and image printing method

Driving orders of driving blocks are controlled with regard to each of multiple types of ink so that landing positions of ink from the driving blocks differ in multiple scans, and in the mask patterns used, there is a relatively small number of superimposed pixels among pixels regarding which a large number of discharge permitted has been stipulated regarding a mask pattern corresponding to one type of ink and one scan and pixels regarding which a large number of discharge permitted has been stipulated regarding a mask pattern corresponding to another type of ink and the one scan.

Recording apparatus and recording method

An image printing apparatus can print an image in which graininess is suppressed while using a color material of light blue. To achieve this, the color material of light blue satisfies the following condition.&#x394;&#x2267;(&#x394;)&#x3e;0 and&#x394;&#x2267;(&#x394;)&#x3e;0Here, &#x394;Lrepresents a difference in lightness between cyan ink and a blank area, &#x394;Lrepresents a difference in lightness between magenta ink and the blank area, and &#x394;Lrepresents a difference in lightness between light blue ink and the blank area. Further, the color material of light blue satisfies the following condition.+()/2&#x2266;&#x2212;()/2Here, hrepresents a hue of the cyan ink, hrepresents a hue of the magenta ink, hrepresents a hue of the image printed with the cyan ink and the magenta ink in the same amount, and hrepresents a hue of the light blue ink.

Recording is performs that suppresses ink discharge position deviation between scans while suppressing graininess in a case of using multiple types of ink.

Recording apparatus for reducing discharge position deviation of discharged ink, and recording method for the same

A recording apparatus includes a recording head including a plurality of recording elements arranged in a predetermined direction, and a determination unit configured to determine a first mode in which a specified image is recorded or a second mode in which a pattern is recorded in each of recording scannings in forward and backward directions to form an adjustment pattern for adjusting a recording position in the intersecting direction of the recording head, and the recording position of the recording head in accordance with the formed adjustment pattern is adjusted, in which a driving unit controls driving of the recording elements in a manner that a correspondence relationship between positions in the predetermined direction and the intersecting direction among a plurality of dots that form the same column is varied or is the same in the recording scannings in the forward and backward directions in accordance with the determined mode.

The driving order of driving blocks is controlled so that ink landing positions from driving blocks differ from each other in multiple scans. Recording data is generated so that, of pixels where ink is discharged in one scan, the number of pixels adjacent at both sides in the scanning direction to pixels where ink is discharged in another scan is greater than the number of pixels not adjacent at both sides in the scanning direction to pixels where ink is discharged the other scan.

Growing community of inventors

Inagi, Japan

Mayuko Yamagata