Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Controller
Reexamination Certificate
1993-10-08
2001-11-20
Barlow, John (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Controller
C347S013000, C347S015000, C347S019000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318830
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image printing method and apparatus, as well as to a copying apparatus, in which an image is printed on the basis of entered image information by scanning a printing head having a plurality of printing elements (nozzles or heating elements) arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the scanning direction of the printing head.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an ink-jet printer known in the art, an ink-jet head having a plurality of nozzles arranged in a subscan direction is mounted on a carriage and the carriage is made to scan in a main-scan direction to perform printing. When printing is performed using an ink-jet head, images on a plurality of lines are capable of being printed simultaneously on a recording medium such as recording paper by a single scan of the carriage. The width of the image thus printed generally is referred to as a “band”.
With an ink-jet head of this kind, however, 128 nozzles, for example, are arranged at intervals of about 60 &mgr;m, and inevitably a variance develops in the accuracy with which ink is jetted from each of the nozzles. This variance in the jetting accuracy appears as unevenness in the printing density of the printed image. Such uneven density gives rise to a decline in the image quality of the printed image.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an image printing method and apparatus; as well as a copying apparatus, in which the printing speed is improved and printing can be performed without a conspicuous unevenness in density caused by such a printing head.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image printing method and apparatus, as well as a copying apparatus, in which an image is printed upon selecting between a method of printing the same line using a plurality of printing elements and a method of printing the same line using a specific printing element, thereby making it possible to perform printing without conspicuous unevenness in the density of the printed image.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an image printing method and apparatus, as well as a copying apparatus, in which an image can be printed by changing over between methods, i.e., by printing the same line using a specific printing element in a case where an image having inconspicuous density unevenness is printed, and printing the same line using a plurality of printing elements in a case where an image having conspicuous density unevenness is printed.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an image printing method and apparatus, as well as a copying apparatus, in which a plurality of nozzles of the ink-jet head are divided into a plurality of blocks, print data corresponding to one band is divided in conformity with each of the plurality of nozzle blocks, and one band is printed by causing the printing head to scan a plurality of times.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an image printing method and apparatus, as well as a copying apparatus, in which an image whose image data has a high density and whose density unevenness is inconspicuous is printed by the usual single scan, whereas an image having a low density and a conspicuous density unevenness is printed by multiple scans.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.
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Barlow John
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Do An H.
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
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