A processor maintains image quality degradation for a printing device. A communications device receives a print job that includes instructions to print a plurality of printed sheets in a sheet printing sequence. The processor generates a predicted output image for a mid-job sheet of the printed sheets based on the image quality degradation and the sheet count of the mid-job sheet within the sheet printing sequence. The printing engine alter printing characteristics to print a proof sheet matching an appearance of the predicted output image.

A method for printing a plurality of scan lines with one or more inkjet heads includes receiving at least one scanline; creating, from pixels of said at least one scanline, a plurality of bundles of a predetermined size comprising first bundles and consecutive bundles, said first and consecutive bundles comprising pixels for which nozzles of the one or more inkjet heads have to be fired within a first time period and within a consecutive time period, respectively; and storing said plurality of bundles in a first memory. The method includes transferring said plurality of bundles from first memory to second memory; and repeating until all said pixels are available in the second memory as the first bundles. Nozzles of the one or more inkjet heads are fired in accordance with the first bundles within the first time period and steps repeated for consecutive bundles and associated respective consecutive time periods.

Provided is an ink jet recording method by which even when a multicolor image is recorded with an ink jet recording apparatus including an ink storage portion having an ink inlet port arranged in its upper portion by applying a plurality of aqueous inks each comprising a pigment to a recording medium, an image excellent in abrasion resistance can be stably recorded over along time period. The method is an ink jet recording method for recording an image on a recording medium with an ink jet recording apparatus including: a plurality of aqueous inks each comprising a pigment; an ink storage portion; a recording head; and an ink supply path. The aqueous inks include a first ink to be applied earlier to the recording medium and a second ink to be applied later to the recording medium, and the first ink has a redispersibility index of 0.90 or more.

Provided is an image processing device coupled to a printing device that performs printing on a medium by ejecting ink having a plurality of colors, and configured to convert image data into ink amount data. The image processing device includes: an input unit configured to input a search condition; an acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of search values based on the search condition input by the input unit; a table storage unit storing a plurality of image conversion tables for converting the image data into the ink amount data; and a search unit configured to search the plurality of image conversion tables for a target image conversion table based on the plurality of search values acquired by the acquisition unit.

A digital printing system includes a print head and a processor. The print head is configured to jet droplets of ink. The a processor is further configured to translate a required shade of a color, to be printed at a given location on a substrate by the print head, into a sequence of pulses, the sequence including: (a) up to a predefined maximum number of driving pulses that cause the print head to jet respective droplets, and (b) a tickling pulse, which has a smaller amplitude than the driving pulses and which causes the print head to jet a droplet smaller than the droplets jetted in response to the driving pulses. The processor is additionally configured to apply the sequence of pulses to the print head.

Provided is a metallic image forming method by which a metallic image that assumes sufficient metallic feeling can be acquired. The metallic image forming method is a method of forming a metallic image on a recording medium through use of an ink containing metal particles and includes an ink application step of applying an ink onto a recording medium having an underlayer formed thereon such that the ink overlaps at least a part of the underlayer, the underlayer having a black color or an opposite color with respect to diffusion light of the ink.

There is provided an image processing apparatus for a print executor, including a controller configured to execute direction determining processing. The direction determining processing including: determining whether a specified condition including a first condition is satisfied, the first condition indicating color difference pixels are present in a first partial image and an intermediate image, as well as the color difference pixels are present in a second partial image and the intermediate image; determining direction of head movement in the first partial printing and direction of head movement in the second partial printing to be same as each other in a case that the specified condition is satisfied, and determining the direction of the head movement in the second partial printing to be opposite to the direction of the head movement in the first partial printing in a case that the specified condition is not satisfied.

A printing apparatus includes a printing head provided with a first nozzle row and a second nozzle row arranged shifted from the first nozzle row in a nozzle alignment direction, and a control unit configured to control ejection of ink from nozzles included in the printing head onto a medium based on print data. The control unit is configured to set an image to be complemented as a partial region of an image to be printed on the medium in accordance with a boundary portion between the first nozzle row and the second nozzle row, assign print data for printing the image to be completed to at least one of a first adjacent nozzle that is a nozzle in the first nozzle row and adjacent to the boundary portion and a second adjacent nozzle that is a nozzle in the second nozzle row and adjacent to the boundary portion, and complement the image to be complemented by ink ejection from at least one of the first adjacent nozzle and the second adjacent nozzle.

An information processing device includes: an acquisition unit acquiring a designated value of a transmittance of one or more layers included in a plurality of layers stacked on each other and printed on a print medium, the plurality of layers including one or two image layers printed to be visible from one side of the print medium and a foundation layer serving as a foundation of the one or two image layers, the one or more layers including the foundation layer; and a decision unit deciding a layer configuration that is a configuration of the foundation layer, based on the designated value acquired by the acquisition unit.

A printing apparatus to which a consumable part filled with a printing material can be detachably attached, so as to perform printing according to a color mode setting by use of the printing material filled in the consumable part whose type differs according to a contract, includes: a setting unit configured to set a contract status, based on information related to the contract; a first obtainment unit configured to obtain a set color mode; a second obtainment unit configured to obtain the type of mounted consumable part which corresponds to the contract status; and a print control unit configured to control printing by allowing or restricting the printing, based on the contract status that is set by the setting unit, the color mode that is obtained by the first obtainment unit, and the type of consumable part that is obtained by the second obtainment unit.