A method for correcting in-track position errors in a digital printing system having a linear printhead includes printing a test target including a plurality of alignment marks. A data processing system is used to automatically analyze a captured image of the printed test target to determine a measured in-track position for each of the alignment marks. The measured in-track positions for the alignment marks are compared to reference positions to determine measured in-track position errors. An in-track position correction function is determined responsive to the measured in-track position errors, wherein the in-track position correction function specifies in-track position corrections to be applied as a function of cross-track position. A corrected digital image is determined by resampling an input digital image responsive to the in-track position correction function.

A signal processing apparatus includes a unit configured to generate noise cut data by deducting a predetermined noise value from values of respective signals constituting input data and a stochastic resonance processing unit configured to subject the noise cut data to a predetermined stochastic resonance processing. The predetermined stochastic resonance processing is processing to output, in a method of synthesizing a result of parallelly performing steps of adding new noise to the noise cut data to subject the resultant data to a binary processing, a value obtained in a case where the parallel number is infinite.

A signal processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires input data and detection target data, a noise strength setting unit that sets a noise strength K used to a predetermined stochastic resonance processing and a stochastic resonance processing unit that performs the predetermined stochastic resonance processing and outputs processed data. The predetermined stochastic resonance processing is a processing based on a formula in which processed data J(x) is represented by I(x), the noise strength K and the threshold value T and the processed data J(x) corresponds to a result in a case where M is infinite in the following formula, $J\left(x\right)=\frac{1}{M}\underset{m=1}{\overset{M}{.Math.}}j\left(x,m\right).$ The noise strength setting unit sets the noise strength based on a function of a correlation coefficient between the result of the predetermined stochastic resonance processing and the detection target data and the noise strength K.

A liquid discharging apparatus includes a print head unit including a nozzle array with a plurality of nozzles in a sub-scanning direction, each nozzle being configured to discharge liquid onto a print medium. The liquid discharging apparatus includes a moving unit configured to move the print head unit in a scanning direction perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction with respect to the print medium, while causing discharge of the liquid onto the print medium. The moving unit is configured to move, without discharge of liquid, the print medium or the print head unit in the sub-scanning direction. The liquid discharging apparatus includes a line-pitch setting unit configured to set a line pitch by which the print head unit moves, per scan with respect to the sub-scanning direction.

An image forming method uses a memory, forms an image on a print medium using color materials of L colors, and includes: setting N groups associated for respective N objects including a plurality of scanning lines and reproduced with the color materials of the L colors; calculating a relative address that stores tone data representing a tone of one color material among the color materials of the L colors based on coordinates of a plurality of pixels forming the plurality of scanning lines to calculate L addresses separated by shifting the relative address using a predetermined offset address; and transmitting and receiving L tone data representing tones of respective L color materials for reproducing colors of the plurality of pixels forming the scanning lines by using the L addresses to/from the memory via L channels among M (M is an integer larger than N) communication channels.

A signal processing method includes addition of noise obtained by multiplying generated random number by K to the input pixel signal I(x), a binarization process of comparing the result of the addition with two thresholds, and a process of calculating a probability. The binarization process includes a first nonlinear process and a second nonlinear process. The first nonlinear process outputs P in a case where I(x) after the addition of the noise is greater than the threshold T1 and less than the second threshold T2. The second nonlinear determines 1 or 0 for a processing target pixel, in which the result of the first nonlinear process is P, based on input pixel signals of pixels around the processing target pixel. The process of calculating a probability calculates a probability J(x) that the result of the first nonlinear process is 1, or the result of the first nonlinear process is P and the result of the second nonlinear process is 1.

In one example, image forming quality is stabilized by monitoring aging characteristics of an image forming system including its set of supplies. When an age-related triggering event occurs, a set of modified parameters are substituted for a set of standardized parameters. This substitution increases the image forming quality while sacrificing some visual acuity based on user preferences from psychometric testing.

Provided is an image processing device used for image processing in an image forming device that executes linear image forming in a first direction repeatedly in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and executes two-dimensional image forming on a recording medium, the image processing device including: a processor configured to: acquire a phase of a member that contributes to image forming by rotating or circulating in the second direction and calculate, for each of different phases, an input/output gradation characteristic indicating a correspondence relationship in density in the same pixels in pre-output image data and post-output image data acquired by scanning of an image formed on the recording medium; calculates correction data to solve a difference between the input/output gradation characteristic in each of the phases and a reference input/output gradation characteristic; and correct the pre-output image data with the correction data of each of the phases.

Print jobs call for printing multiple logical pages on the same sheet, using base colorants and an extension colorant, and call for a different number of printing passes of the extension colorant for different logical pages. A first bitmap is created, and a first printing pass prints the first bitmap. The first bitmap is then modified to leave only the extension colorant plane, to create a modified bitmap; and a second printing pass prints the modified bitmap on the same sheet. The modified bitmap is additionally modified by removing printing pixels for the logical pages that do not contain an instruction to perform an additional printing pass of the extension colorant; and an additional printing pass prints the modified bitmap. These printing passes are repeated until no more of the logical pages contain the instruction to perform an additional printing pass of the extension colorant.

In one example, image forming quality is stabilized by monitoring aging characteristics of an image forming system including its set of supplies. When an age-related triggering event occurs, a set of modified parameters are substituted for a set of standardized parameters. This substitution increases the image forming quality while sacrificing some visual acuity based on user preferences from psychometric testing.