Inkjet printing: mask-rotation-only at page extremes; multipass modes for quality and throughput on plastic media
US5555006A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 30, 1993 |
| Grant date | Sep 10, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 30, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06K2215/0097
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
Images are printed using marks formed in pixel arrays by a scanning print head. For transparent and glossy media, with poor absorbance, drying is enhanced by a multipass (preferably six-pass) print mode in which the total number of ink drops or spots is allocated among correspondingly multiple masks, though some may be duplicates. To further hasten drying, heat is applied--through the medium, from the opposite side as that on which ink is deposited--but the amount of heat is strictly moderated, particularly for nontransparent glossy media, to accommodate the hypersensitivity of these media to heat-induced warping. Heating for glossy media is preferably restricted to about one-third the power used for drying plain paper. Convective drying too is promoted, by operating a fan over the printed image. Certain special techniques well-suited for plain-paper printing have been found undesirable for use with plastic media; these techniques include so-called "resolution-enhanced technology", bidirectional printing (particularly of black), and optical-density controlled printing speed. At top and bottom of each page or sheet of printing medium, where it is undesirable to operate with the pen …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.