A printing apparatus includes a head to discharge liquid, a carriage to support the head and reciprocate in a forward direction and a backward direction, and a controller. The controller executes a printing process to print one image in a plurality of copies by discharging the liquid from the head while moving the carriage in the forward direction and the backward direction, based on a print job for printing the one image in the plurality of copies, and a first determining process to determine a moving direction of the carriage for second and following copies, based on a moving result of the carriage in printing for the first copy in the printing process.

A printing control apparatus includes a control unit configured to perform control so that a distribution ratio based on which color separation data separated as having a predetermined color is distributed into data for a first nozzle array and a distribution ratio based on which color separation data is distributed into data for a second nozzle array are different depending on a tone value in the color separation data, and a generation unit configured to generate printing data to be used for printing by the first nozzle array based on the distributed data for the first nozzle array and generate printing data to be used for printing by the second nozzle array based on the distributed data for the second nozzle array.

A liquid discharging apparatus, having a head with nozzles, a scanning assembly, a conveyer, and a controller, is provided. The controller is configured to conduct actions including a conveying action and a scanning action. The scanning action includes a forward scanning action and a backward scanning action, in each of which a deceleration distance is longer than an acceleration distance. The controller is configured to determine, prior to conducting the forward scanning action, whether a deceleration range corresponding to the deceleration distance in the forward scanning action coincides with a discharging range in the forward scanning action. In a case where the controller determines that the deceleration range coincides with the discharging range, the controller is configured to conduct the backward scanning action, without conducting the forward scanning action, based on partial image data being a part of the image data corresponding to the forward scanning action.

There is provided a printer including: a carriage; a head; a position sensitive detector having a light-emitter and a light-receiver; and a controller. The head has: a first nozzle from which a printing ink is discharged, and a second nozzle from which a liquid scattering a light emitted from the light-emitter is discharged. The controller is configured to execute: formation of a scattering film on the object by discharging the liquid from the second nozzle onto the object; measurement of a distance between the head and the object, with the light emitted from the light-emitter and irradiated onto the scattering film; and adjustment, based on the measured distance, of a discharging condition of discharging the ink from the first nozzle, and performing printing on the object.

Techniques for reducing or eliminating image banding in an ink-jet image are provided. In an example, a method of operating a printer to reduce or eliminate image banding can include generating command profile for printing a given image, applying a filter to the command profile to provide a filtered profile, and dispensing ink from a printhead of the printer based on the filtered profile. In certain examples, the filter can randomize droplet sizes of ink dispensed while executing the printing to reduce or eliminate image banding.

A control unit controls a print head to print a print image by ejecting ink through a nozzle to form dots on a print medium and a movement unit to impart relative movement between the print head and the print medium to print a print image on the print medium. The control unit obtains a dot adjustment value in the predetermined print operation based on the measurement result of a measurement unit measuring a first pattern composed of a print image printed by the predetermined print operation including the relative movement, and a second adjustment value for adjusting dot printing positions in the predetermined print operation in a unit of length shorter than in the adjustment using the first adjustment value based on a second pattern printed by the predetermined print operation in a density according to density information on the first pattern, measured by the measurement unit.

A printing apparatus includes: a head portion that discharges droplets toward a printing medium while reciprocating on the printing medium; and a controller that controls movement of the head portion during a printing operation such that a movement stop time of the head portion when a movement direction of the head portion is reversed at an endmost portion of a range in which the head portion moves is longer than the movement stop time of the head portion when the movement direction of the head portion is reversed on the printing medium.

A method for printing sheet-type substrates to prevent streaks during the ink-jet paint coating of substrates, includes moving a substrate in a feed direction past an application device by means of a conveying device, applying with the application device, during the movement of the substrate, a fluid application material drop by drop to the surface of the substrate in a pattern with a pre-defined contour, in particular leaving out regions, through a plurality of ink-jet nozzles arranged in a row transversely to the feed direction, in response to computer-controlled switching signals, and during the application of the pattern and during the movement of the substrate, moving the ink-jet nozzles back and forth transversely to the feed direction, preferably in the longitudinal direction of the arranged row of ink-jet nozzles, such that the paths travelled by the nozzles over the substrate by the overlap of the movement back and forth with the movement in the feed direction have direction components running perpendicular to the feed direction.

A method for printing sheet-type substrates to prevent streaks during the ink-jet paint coating of substrates, includes moving a substrate in a feed direction past an application device by means of a conveying device, applying with the application device, during the movement of the substrate, a fluid application material drop by drop to the surface of the substrate in a pattern with a pre-defined contour, in particular leaving out regions, through a plurality of ink-jet nozzles arranged in a row transversely to the feed direction, in response to computer-controlled switching signals, and during the application of the pattern and during the movement of the substrate, moving the ink-jet nozzles back and forth transversely to the feed direction, preferably in the longitudinal direction of the arranged row of ink-jet nozzles, such that the paths travelled by the nozzles over the substrate by the overlap of the movement back and forth with the movement in the feed direction have direction components running perpendicular to the feed direction.

White-balance is improved when printing on colored media, while minimizing the time and use of costly materials required by present approaches. In an embodiment, the typical solid white fill or background layer is altered by including in the white layer one or more of the other colors already available in the printer to shade this layer. Thus, a small amount of cyan, for example, helps balance a pink-ish (red) media; yellow is used for blue media; and magenta is used for green media; as well as combinations thereof. A combination of transparent process inks and opaque white helps to maintain brightness (luminosity).