Patent · US Expired

Banding reduction in incremental printing, through use of complementary weights for complementary printhead regions

US6312098A · kind A · utility

6Cited by
2References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 1, 2000
Grant dateNov 6, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 1, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06K15/107
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A structure of bands is associated with printhead-array image-forming elements, forming a printmask. Some band pairs are complementary. A low usage percent is stated for at least one band and a like value for another, a complement to each "at least one" band, to smooth the mask and image. The invention best sets a number N of passes, a wavenumber multiplier M for the image, and overall number B of bands N.times.M.times.2, the "2" accounting for odd and even elements; bands appear in order: PA1 first group of M bands, odd and even, PA1 second group of M bands, odd and even, PA1 . . . PA1 (N-1)th group of M bands, odd and even, PA1 Nth group of M bands, odd and even. In another novel aspect the invention has programming for creating a geometrical structure of bands, respectively associated with the image-forming elements and constituting the printmask. The invention also has programming for specifying a relatively low usage percentage for at least one particular band that is associated with image-forming elements that are not at either of the ends of the array; and programming for applying the printmask in said printing.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.