Patent · US Expired

Faster under/over printing by an inkjet printer

US6315392A · kind A · utility

9Cited by
6References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 10, 2000
Grant dateNov 13, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 10, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
  • CPC primaryB41J2/2132
  • WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A printer that includes a carriage, a first printhead mounted in the carriage, a second printhead printing black ink mounted in the carriage, and a third printhead mounted in the carriage, where the second printhead is between the first printhead and the third printhead. The printer further includes a print zone having left and right boundaries where text or another image is to be printed by black ink. The carriage scans such that the second printhead does not go beyond the left and right boundaries of the print zone. The leading one of the first or third printheads underprints the black ink. A trailing one of the first or third printheads overprints the black ink. Using this technique, the scanning distance is reduced by at least the width of two printheads, resulting in a 20% improvement in printing speed in one embodiment. Techniques for reducing hue shifts between adjacent print swaths are described.

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