Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
1997-01-27
2001-02-13
Nguyen, Thinh (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
C347S100000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186615
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording technology employing an ink-jet recording method as a means for obtaining pictures, color graphics, or color hard-copies produced from computer graphics, color CRT displays, or the like and; more specifically, to an ink-jet recording technology which can reproduce color images that are faithful to the original, while maintaining clearness and high density.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ink-jet recording method has been used for terminal printers of word-processing machines and computers, copying machines, facsimile machines, or the like, due to its low noise, low operational cost, feasibility of downsizing, ease of color recording, and the like.
Generally, a color ink-jet recording method employs three primary colors, i.e., cyan, magenta, and yellow, and may further add black as a fourth color.
In the conventional ink-jet recording method, it was necessary to use a specific type of paper having an ink absorption layer to obtain a highly developed color-image with no blurring of ink. However, due to the recent improvement of ink, plain paper being suitable for ink-jet printing, which is used for printers and copying machines in large quantity, has been put into practical use. However, it is widely recognized that the printing quality of plain paper is still inadequate. The biggest reason for this deficiency is an incompatibility between the incidence of blurring and recording quality of a black image (particularly, recording quality of black letters), in which the blurring occurs between different color inks, which is referred to as bleeding.
As disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. #55-29546, quick-drying ink having a high penetration rate on plain paper is generally used to produce a color image on plain paper by means of the ink-jet recording method. A high-quality image without bleeding incidence can be obtained by using the above-mentioned ink. However, such ink has a low image-density and further tends to allow so-called feathering in which the ink blurs slightly along fibers in paper in the periphery of each color image. Even though such feathering may be barely noticeable in a color image area, it is conspicuous in a black image area thereby causing deterioration in printing quality. The printing quality becomes poor especially when the black image is formed by black letters which become illegible due in part to a lack of sharpness.
To overcome the above-described ink inferiority, and to obtain an image having decreased feathering and also having much higher density and high quality, it is necessary to use black ink having a relatively slow penetration rate on plain paper. In this case, however, each ink may blur at the adjacent boundary portion of the recording image areas where black and color inks meet.
There is a “trade off” relationship between the prevention of blurring between black ink and color inks and the improvement of quality of the color image obtained by the reduced incidence of feathering in the black image.
According to Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. #4-158049, a combined use of print heads of a plurality of colors for color recording and a print head for letter recording has been proposed, in which the use of these two different heads are switched according to the recording image. However, disadvantages such as high cost and the inevitability of large-sized apparatus are unavoidable in this method because the head for letter recording is used in combination with the conventional heads of a plurality of colors for color recording.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to overcome the above-described problems, the present invention is aimed at providing an ink-jet recording technology which materializes the capability of high-quality black recording and high-quality color recording, wherein a superior printing quality of a black image having high density and reduced feathering can be obtained when an independent black image area which does not contact a color image area, is recorded; and also a superior printing quality of a color image having no blurring between black ink and color inks can be obtained when the black image is recorded adjacent to the color image.
To attain the above object, the present invention in one aspect provides a method of forming a black image. The method comprises applying black ink and a plurality of color inks, in which each color ink having a different penetration rate on the recording member from the black ink, wherein the black ink is applied to the recording member after at least one color ink of the plurality of color inks is absorbed thereto.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an ink-jet recording method of forming a black image on a recording member comprises the steps of applying black ink and a plurality of color inks, each color ink having a different penetration rate on the recording member from the black ink; and a decision process which determines a presence of image data which forms a color image adjacent to the black image, wherein the process decides according to the determination whether only black ink is applied to form the black image, or whether black ink is applied to the recording member after at least one color ink of the plurality of color inks is absorbed thereto.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, an ink-jet recording apparatus comprises: means for determining a presence of image data which forms a color image adjacent to the black image, the means having a set of inks comprising of black ink and a plurality of color inks. Each color ink having a different penetration rate on a recording member from the black ink. Also provided is means for deciding according to the determination whether only black ink is applied to form the black image, or whether black ink is applied to the recording member after at least one color ink of the plurality of color inks is absorbed thereto; and means for performing printing.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, an ink-jet recording method using an ink-jet recording apparatus to conduct an image recording comprises the steps of applying black ink and an ink having a larger content amount of nonionic surfactant than the black ink to eliminate any disturbance in the image appearance and to ensure a stable paper transfer system to prevent deterioration in the quality of the recording image, when a black image having a density of more than a specific threshold value is formed at an area of the recording paper with a printed image thereon where a paper transfer system of the recording apparatus contacts.
According to yet a further aspect of the present invention, an ink-jet recording method comprises the steps of employing a plurality of inks including black ink, wherein black ink has a least content amount of nonionic surfactant of the ethylene-oxide type, e.g., ethylene oxide addition products of higher alcohol, alkylphenol, polyalcohol, and acetylene glycol; and a printing can be performed by using black-color liquid obtained by mixing black ink and a plurality of the color inks on an area where an amount of black ink for printing per unit area of a recording paper exceeds a threshold value.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of forming a black image on a recording member includes the steps of providing each of a black ink having a first penetration rate and at least one color ink having a second penetration rate different from the first penetration rate, applying the at least one color ink to the recording member, and applying the black ink to the recording member after the at least one color ink has been absorbed into the recording member.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, an ink-jet recording method of forming a black image on a recording member based on image data includes the steps of providing each of a black ink having a first penetration rate, and a plurality of color inks at least one of which has a second penetration rate differ
Aoki Makoto
Moriyama Jiro
Sato Hiroshi
Sato Shin'ichi
Takizawa Yoshihisa
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Nguyen Thinh
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