Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Naoji Ohtsuka

Kiichiro Takahashi

Osamu Iwasaki

Kentaro Yano

Daigoro Kanematsu

Hitoshi Nishikori

Hidehiko Kanda

Atsushi Arai

Hiromitsu Hirabayashi

Hitoshi Sugimoto

Miyuki Matsubara

Toshiharu Inui

Nobuyuki Kuwabara

Hisao Yaegashi

Isao Ebisawa

Minoru Teshigawara

Toshiyuki Chikuma

Takahiro Matsuura

It is checked whether an ink used in a printhead has a high density. The type of a printing medium used for a print operation is also identified. An image is printed by scanning the printhead once or a plurality of times. When a print operation is to be performed by using a thick ink, an image is printed by using mask data and the driving frequency of the head which are set for the thick ink. When a print operation is to be performed by using a thin ink, an image is printed by using mask data and the driving frequency of the head which are set for the thin ink and the type of printing medium used for the print operation. Codes of the respective color data of print data are determined in accordance with the types of inks used for a print operation, and an image is printed by printing a plurality of dots or dots in an overlapping state by the multi-pass method.

Ink-jet printing method and apparatus for printing with inks of different densities

A control portion for arithmetically predicting a temperature transition of a printing head using a predicting parameter includes an interface for receiving the predicting parameter from outside of the apparatus. The predicting parameter is based on a table regarding temperature increase of the printing head.

Method and apparatus for controlling printing operation with externally supplied parameters

A printing apparatus and print control method, capable of using plural types of printheads, can achieve high throughput by performing optimized print control in accordance with the type of printhead and the number of printheads used. In a case where the printing apparatus adopting such print control method includes, e.g., four printheads, and performs printing on a print medium by reciprocally scanning the printheads, detection is first performed as to whether only one printhead which discharges black ink is mounted or four printheads which respectively discharge black, yellow, cyan and magenta ink are mounted; decision is made on a printing period of the printhead based on the detected result; then decision is made on a scanning speed of the printhead based on the decided printing period; and the printhead is driven based on the decided printing period and scanning speed to perform printing.

Printing apparatus and print control method

Multi-valued image data is separated into data in units of nozzle groups of the individual colors of a printhead, and each divided multi-valued image data is converted into n-valued image data consisting of a plurality of bits. Based on the n-valued image data of the corresponding colors, print codes are generated and are transmitted to a printer apparatus. The printer apparatus receives the print codes, stores them in print buffers of the corresponding colors, and generates print data based on the print codes using mask patterns set in correspondence with image data of the individual colors. The print timing in each scan of the printhead is determined in accordance with the significant bit position in the print data, and an image is printed on the basis of the print data by multi-pass printing.

Print method and apparatus

Each nozzle of an ink-jet head has heaters having different heating capacities, and in accordance with the heater driven, a diameter of an ink dot formed by ink which is discharged from the nozzle is changed, thereby printing a large dot or a small dot. When multi-value image data is inputted, the multi-value image data is modulated such that a pixel having high density is printed with both the large dot and small dot. On the basis of the modulated print data, any of the heaters included in each nozzle of the ink-jet head is driven, whereby printing an image having tones based on the multi-value image data.

Ink-jet printing method and apparatus therefor

If it is detected that the number of times of ejection recovery operations performed in the past by the request of a user during an ink jet recording operations is greater than or equal to a designated relatively large value, for example &ldquo;2&rdquo;, the ink jet recording apparatus judges that an ejection recovery operation is relatively necessary for itself and that the number of times of ejection recovery operations to be performed when the electric power supply is turned on is increased. As a result in the ink jet recording apparatus, it will be appreciated that an optimal ejection recovery operation can be established in response to an operational condition of the ink jet recording apparatus and that the unnecessary waste of ink fluids can be prevented and the size of the recording apparatus can be reduced.

Ink jet recording apparatus

A user interface for high-quality image output and an image processing apparatus utilizing the user interface which performs apparatus setting for appropriate printing by selecting a print medium and a print mode in accordance with the type of ink cartridge. When an exchangeable ink cartridge, containing YMCK color ink or ink having different ink densities from those of the YMCK color ink in approximately the same color hues, is attached to a printer, the type of the ink cartridge is discriminated by an ink cartridge ID, and available print media and appropriate output image types are displayed for user's selection based on the ID. Then print operation is set in accordance with instruction by the user.

User interface, printing system using user interface and print control

Disclosed are an inkjet printing method and an inkjet printer capable of printing high-quality images by the inkjet printing method even when ink is exchanged for ink having a different density, particularly ink having a lower density. A printer using this method identifies the type of an ink tank attached to a printhead. When the printer detects in accordance with the type of an ink tank that an ink tank is changed to another ink tank containing ink with a different density, recovery conditions for the printhead are changed in accordance with the type of the ink. Especially when an ink tank is exchanged for another ink tank containing ink with a lower density, the printer increases the number of times of suction for the printhead after the ink tank exchange and the number of times of preliminary discharge after wiping. The printer also shortens preliminary discharge intervals and increases the number of preliminary discharge times at the time of printing.

Print control method and printer

An image processing method and apparatus which prestore a mask pattern generated using a pseudo-random number in a ROM within the apparatus, and perform image data conversion using the mask pattern. This avoids overlap between the pixel pattern of the image data and the mask pattern in a large area, and conserves the respective color densities. Accordingly, the method and apparatus enable image processing conserving the color hue and tonality of the original image data.

Resolution conversion with preservation of fine lines and of hue

A printing apparatus and a printing registration method permits printing registration between a forward and a reverse scan of a head cartridge between a plurality of head cartridges without troubling a user and simply. By forward and reverse scan of the head cartridge, a plurality of patterns, in which a print start timing of the reverse scan is shifted per a predetermined amount relative to that of the forward scan, are printed. These patterns may vary an area factor by the dots formed by printing depending upon offset amount. On the other hand, the plurality of patterns are optically read an average density. By this, the timing, at which the read average density is maximum is set as the printing registration condition.

Printing apparatus and printing registration method

A recording system and a recording method which can perform the recording operation without increasing an image storage capacity of a recording apparatus even if image data is increased with an increase in a recording resolution. Picture element data of image data is split into a plurality of split picture element data by a specific pattern. The plurality of split image data are transferred with offsetting each of the split picture element data. The offset and transferred split picture element data are held by a storage means. The split picture element data held by the storage means are controlled so as to be recorded on a recording medium at positions where the above-described picture element split processing is not subjected thereto.

Recording control method and recording control apparatus, and recording

An image processing method and an apparatus capable of employing the method, which smooth notches on outlines and output an image of high quality having smooth outlines. First, edges to be smoothed are determined, then numbers of consecutive black dots in the horizontal and vertical directions are counted from originating points in the determined edge. Further, dots for correcting an original image are calculated based on the counted numbers of consecutive black dots. Thereby it is possible to perform the high speed smoothing correction efficiently, facilitating production of a high quality printing apparatus for a reasonable price.

High-quality edge-smoothing based upon a determination of consecutive

According to an image processing method and apparatus of the present invention, an outline portion is extracted from input image data, and a pixel whose dot size is to be changed is extracted. The input image data is printed without any change, and the pixel whose dot size is to be changed is overlap-printed while the dot size is increased. Therefore, smoothing can be sufficiently performed in both the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction without increasing the dot density and decreasing the recording speed.

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Yokohama, Japan

Naoji Ohtsuka