A PC causes a printing apparatus to print a color chart sheet including a color chart and a first image, the first image indicating a color measurement start position and a color measurement start direction of a colorimeter in a forward path in a leading line of the color chart.

Provided is an ink jet recording method by which even when an ink jet recording apparatus having a small size and high durability is used, excellent sticking recoverability is obtained and a high-quality image suppressed from causing unevenness can be recorded. The ink jet recording method includes recording an image with an ink jet recording apparatus including: a plurality of aqueous inks; a first ink storage portion; a second ink storage portion; a plurality of tubes; a recording head; and a recovery mechanism. The ratio (η.sub.2/η.sub.1) of the viscosity 112 (mPa.Math.s) of the second ink to the viscosity η.sub.1 (mPa.Math.s) of the first ink is 0.7 or more to 1.5 or less, and the first ink contains a first water-soluble organic solvent having a specific dielectric constant of 40.0 or more.

The width by which the first, second heads overlap each other cross-sectionally along the first direction is greater than the width by which the fifth, sixth heads overlap each other cross-sectionally along the first direction.

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 a processing fluid including nonionic acrylic resin particles, and a polyvalent metal salt. A volume average particle diameter of the nonionic acrylic resin particles is 100 nm or greater but 300 nm or less. A proportion of the nonionic acrylic resin particles in the processing fluid is greater than 2.0% by mass. An average reflectance of the processing fluid to light having a wavelength of 400 nm or greater but 700 nm or less is 70% or greater.

The printing medium M after color printing is performed on the front surface M1 (recording surface) by the color printing unit 32 can be conveyed while the front surface M1 and the back surface M2 of the printing medium M are inverted twice by the only rollers 471 to 478 (rotary bodies) in contact with the back surface M2 (non-recording surface) of the printing medium M (inverting conveying part 47). In this way, without providing air turn bars, a time to convey the printing medium M from the color printing unit 32 to the white printing unit 33 can be secured while the printing medium M is firmly supported by the rollers 471 to 478 in contact with the back surface M2 of the printing medium M.

The disclosure concerns a printhead for the application of a coating agent to a component, in particular for painting a vehicle body component with a paint. The disclosure provides that the printhead is designed in such a way that it enables a color change during coating operation and can be rinsed with a rinsing agent during a color change in order to rinse out coating agent residues from the printhead.

A printing apparatus for printing on a printing medium. The apparatus includes the following elements: a transport mechanism for transporting the printing medium in a transport direction; a first print head for printing an image on the printing medium, and printing a lead line used as a reference for determining a printing position in a width direction; a second print head for performing printing based on a position of the lead line; a printing position sensor for detecting the position of the lead line in the width direction; and a moving mechanism for moving the printing position sensor in the width direction of the printing medium according to a width dimension of the printing medium.

The method of generating color sample data includes the step of generating the color sample data for preparing a color sample of a color included in a difference area between a color gamut in an equipment independent color space which is expressed by a first color expression apparatus and a color gamut in the equipment independent color space which is expressed by a second color expression apparatus using an output profile which expresses the color and corresponds to one of the first color expression apparatus and the second color expression apparatus configured to express a color in at least a part of the difference area out of a first output profile representing a correspondence relationship between a coordinate value in an output color space depending on the first color expression apparatus and a coordinate value in the equipment independent color space, and a second output profile representing a correspondence relationship between a coordinate value in an output color space depending on the second color expression apparatus and a coordinate value in the equipment independent color space based on a coordinate value in the difference area.

A printing system and method print different colors onto a target object to form a machine-readable data representation having a symbol contrast of at least 40%. The printing system and method direct print heads to print the different colors by printing a base layer of a first color of the different colors on the target object and printing an upper layer of a different, second color of the different colors on top of the base layer of the first color, or by printing print the machine-readable data representation as an interdigitated data representation by printing the different colors onto the target object so that none of the different colors is printed on top of another color of the different colors.