There is provided with an image processing apparatus. An obtaining unit obtains a first image serving as a read image of an inspection target medium having undergone printing, and a second image serving as a read image of a reference medium representing a target print result. An inspection unit inspects a defect on the inspection target medium based on the first image and the second image by performing inspection at inspection settings different between a print region and a peripheral region of the inspection target medium.

An apparatus outputs a first number of printed materials, reads the first number of printed materials output to acquire the first number of pieces of scanned image data, the first number being two or more, and controls a density of output printed materials by calculating variations in lightness values in the respective pieces of scanned image data included in scanned image data groups for each scanned image data group having as a unit a second number of pieces of scanned image data consecutive in order of being read among the first number of pieces of scanned image data, the second number being two or more, so that the printed materials are further output until all the variations in the lightness values are less than a first threshold value.

An image forming apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memories storing program instructions, which, when being executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to generate a print image to be printed on a sheet of paper and a position correcting mark for front and back side registration having a brightness lower than a minimum brightness of the print image; control printing of the print image and the position correcting mark on a first side of the sheet of paper; control reading the print image and the position correcting mark from the first side and control generating of read image data; and detect, from the read image data, the position correcting mark on the first side using a brightness difference.

A print system including a printing apparatus and an inspection apparatus, the printing apparatus obtains, from a print job, image data to be used for printing, registers in the inspection apparatus the image data as a reference image, in response to completion of registration of the reference image in the inspection apparatus, executes printing on a sheet based on the print job, and notifies the inspection apparatus of an instruction for inspecting the sheet on which printing has been performed. The inspection apparatus registers the image data received from the printing apparatus as the reference image, and in response to the instruction for inspecting, inspects the sheet on which the printing has been performed in the printing apparatus.

A liquid droplet ejecting apparatus comprises a liquid droplet ejecting head which has a nozzle array composed of a plurality of nozzles arranged in a first direction, a relative movement mechanism which relatively moves the liquid droplet ejecting head and a recording medium in the first direction, and a controller. The controller controls the liquid droplet ejecting head and the relative movement mechanism to record, on the recording medium, a nonuniformity correction pattern in order to correct any dispersion in a liquid droplet ejection amount among the plurality of nozzles. The controller is configured, in order to record the nonuniformity correction pattern, such that the liquid droplet ejecting head is allowed to eject liquid droplets from at least the first nozzle to thereby record a first pattern group, the relative movement mechanism is allowed to relatively move the liquid droplet ejecting head and the recording medium in the first direction by a predetermined distance, and the liquid droplet ejecting head is allowed to eject the liquid droplets from at least the second nozzle to thereby record a second pattern group.

A head alignment apparatus for determining a reference position using position synchronization and aligning a plurality of head modules according to the reference position, and a substrate treating system including the same are provided. The head alignment apparatus may include, a reference position determining unit for determining a first reference position of a head transfer, in which a plurality of inkjet head modules are installed; and a mounting position determining unit for determining a second reference position of the inkjet head module based on the first reference position so that the inkjet head module can be moved from a current position to a second reference position, wherein the reference position determining unit determines a first reference position using a first image sensor installed on the same plane as the inkjet head module and a second image sensor installed facing the inkjet head module.

A method for printing at least a first and a later print job includes receiving a first print job containing first image data of one or more first images to be printed in a printable area and a later print job containing later image data associated with a colour, determining a first sub-area of said printable area where no image of the first images is to be printed, using the first image data; printing the one or more first images in the printable area and at least one first control patch in the first sub-area, using for said at least one first control patch at least one colour representative for the colour associated with the later image data, measuring the colour of the printed at least one first control patch, and using the measured colour of the at least one first control patch for controlling the later print job.

A printing apparatus includes: a conveying roller which conveys a print medium in a conveying direction; a line head having first and second nozzle rows arranged in the conveying direction; and a controller. Each of the first and second nozzle rows includes nozzles aligned along a width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. The nozzles are configured to discharge liquid, and the nozzles in the first nozzle row and the nozzles in the second nozzle row are shifted in the width direction. The first nozzle row has: first nozzles forming a group; and second nozzles forming a group adjacently in the width direction to the group of first nozzles in the first nozzle row. The second nozzle row has: first nozzles forming a group; and second nozzles forming a group adjacently in the width direction to the group of first nozzles in the second nozzle row.

A method of operating a printer distributes inkjet operations from frequently used inkjets to lesser used inkjets. The redistribution of the inkjet operations helps reduce the number of inkjets exhibiting cross-process direction error so printhead maintenance operations, such as purging, occur less frequently.

A multifunction peripheral includes a conveyance roller, a print engine, a scanner, and a controller. The controller is configured to perform: driving the conveyance roller to convey a recording medium and controlling the print engine to record, on the recording medium, a test image based on test image data with recording agent; after recording the test image, controlling the scanner to generate scan data of the test image recorded on the recording medium; after generating the scan data, extracting, based on the scan data and the test image data, stain data indicative of a stain caused by transfer of the recording agent from the conveyance roller to the recording medium; after extracting the stain data, generating correction data by removing the stain data from the scan data; and executing particular processing by using the correction data.