Efficient use of a printhead and a compressed swath buffer in an inkjet printer
US6313922A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 16, 1998 |
| Grant date | Nov 6, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 16, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06K2215/0077
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A method and structure are provided which allow a print pass to be initiated even if a swath buffer in a multi-pass printer has not stored enough print data to utilize the full printhead. In one embodiment, if the swath buffer is full, a print pass is initiated using the existing print data in the swath buffer, which may result in using less than the full printhead. By allowing a print pass to start when the swath buffer is full, problems such as inconsistent, delayed, or interrupted printing are minimized or eliminated. In another embodiment, if a certain period of time has passed since a previous print pass, a print pass is initiated using existing print data in the swath buffer to print new rows and to print over previously printed partial rows to minimize hue shifts.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.