A method for detecting printing nozzle errors in an inkjet printing machine provides a high degree of robustness in the detection of errors by printing a nozzle test pattern in the inkjet printing machine. The test pattern is then digitalized by using a camera and transmitted to a computer for evaluation. There, the recorded test pattern is investigated by using methods of digital image processing, such as a Fourier analysis, and evaluated in the frequency range with regard to specific anticipated printing nozzle errors. Specific printing nozzle errors can be detected especially on the basis of amplitude, phase and variance errors in the signal in the frequency range. Moreover, by using the phase error, it is possible to evaluate whether the two print heads are disposed in an incorrect adjustment position relative to one another by calculating displacements of the phase error in transition regions of two print heads.

A printing apparatus prints an image by applying ink to a print surface of an inclined print medium using a print head. A control apparatus for the printing apparatus acquires information on an inclination of the print surface. Based on the information, printing is controlled according to a print condition corresponding to a magnitude of the inclination of the print surface.

An inkjet print module includes: a printhead having first and second rows of print chips, the printhead having 180 degree rotational symmetry about a print axis parallel to a direction of droplet ejection; a fixed printhead keying feature which is rotationally asymmetric about the print axis notwithstanding the rotational symmetry of the printhead; a cradle for removably receiving the printhead, the cradle having a key assembly for complementary engagement with the fixed printhead keying feature. The key assembly is selectively configurable in either one of first and second cradle configurations so as to receive the printhead either in a first printhead orientation or a second printhead orientation, the second printhead orientation being rotated 180 degrees about the print axis relative to the first printhead orientation.

A liquid discharging apparatus includes a support unit configured to support a medium, a discharging unit configured to discharge a liquid onto the medium supported by the support unit, and a controller capable of executing a first image formation operation that forms a first image by causing the discharging unit to discharge liquid on the medium, and a second image formation operation that forms a second image by causing the discharging unit to discharge liquid onto the medium on which the first image is formed. In the case where a same-color region having the same color as the first image located under the second image is present in the second image in a region overlapping with the first image, the controller causes the same-color region to be formed in both the first image formation operation and the second image formation operation.

Printing methods and systems are described herein. In one example, a method includes rasterizing a document to create color rasters and linearizing the color rasters to create high drop weight (HDW) planes and low drop weight (LDW) planes. HDW and LDW halftone planes are created from the HDW and LDW planes. The HDW and LDW halftone planes are masked to create HDW and LDW printhead maps, and the HDW and LDW printhead maps are merged into print data. The print data is sent to a number of printheads.

An image forming apparatus for forming an image with a coloring material on a recording medium includes a region specifier that specifies a region that becomes a margin when the image is formed on the recording medium; and a pattern image generator that generates image data of a pattern image to be formed in the region based on a size of the region and a type of the coloring material.

The object is to suitably satisfy a condition for preventing smearing of a printed object and a condition for endowing glossiness to the printed object. As a solution therefor, a plurality of inkjet heads (12y, 12m, 12c, 12k), a print heater (104) being a medium heating heater, and a sub-scan driving unit (16) being an opposing position changing unit that sequentially causes each of positions in a medium (50) in a moving direction of the medium (50) to oppose the respective inkjet heads (12y, 12m, 12c, 12k) are provided, where ink is ink containing solvent and is fixed onto the medium (50) by the solvent being dried, and the print heater (104) dries the ink that has been discharged from one of the inkjet heads and struck onto the medium before another inkjet head further discharges an ink droplet onto a struck position of the ink.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit having at least two nozzle lines each having multiple nozzles to discharge different color droplets; a carriage that carries the image forming unit and is configured to reciprocate in the moving direction crossing an arrangement direction of the nozzles; and a control device to control dual-directional printing to form an image using the at least two nozzle lines in an outward and a return of the carriage. The control device executes color difference handling print control for discharging the different color droplets by using, of each of the nozzles in the at least two nozzle lines, the nozzles located at different positions in the arrangement direction of the nozzles while not overlapping in the moving direction of the carriage.

A printing method of printing a background and an image on a medium includes a background printing step of printing a background on the medium by discharging background ink, and an image printing step of being performed in parallel with the background printing step and printing an image on the medium by discharging image ink. A non-printing area, where the background ink and the image ink are not discharged to a boundary between the background and the image, is provided in the background printing step and the image printing step.

An image processing apparatus provides image processing which realizes a representation of a low gloss while preventing a decrease in a density range of an image to be formed which can be represented on a recording medium. The image processing apparatus includes an input unit configured to input image data representing an image, a first determination unit configured to determine, based on the image data, a first recording amount for use in recording by arranging the colored ink side by side on the recording medium and a second recording amount for use in recording by stacking the colored ink in discrete positions on the recording medium, and an output unit configured to output layout data indicating a layout of the colored ink on the recording medium, based on the first recording amount and the second recording amount.