B41J2/36

Optimizing MICR ink usage with multiple ink droplet sizes

An inkjet printhead prints test patches of magnetic ink having magnetic particles using different ink droplet sizes on print media. A sensor scans the test patches to determine test patch densities. A processor determines a table-based density that produces a user-selected magnetic strength by applying the selected magnetic strength to a density and magnetic strength relationship table. The processor identifies a matching test patch as one of the test patches having a density that most closely matches the table-based density, identifies a selected droplet size as the ink droplet size used to print the matching test patch, and controls the printhead to produce magnetic ink droplets of the selected droplet size when printing a print job for the selected magnetic strength.

Region-of-interest based print quality optimization
10105963 · 2018-10-23 · ·

A method for printing includes analyzing print quality requirements for a printing area; adjusting settings for heater elements (e.g., energy and/or firing durations) of strobe lines based on the requirements analysis; and providing a plurality of individual strobe signals to the strobe lines. The strobe signals can be transmitted simultaneously, for example with a field-programmable gate array. Analyzing print quality requirements can include separating the printing area into one or more areas of interest, such as rows and/or columns. For each area of interest individual print quality settings (e.g., darkness, contrast, and/or media sensitivity) may be selected.

Successive memory writes in an RFID interrogator

A high speed tabletop and industrial printer is disclosed with integrated high speed RFID encoding and verification at the same time. The industrial printer simultaneously prints on and electronically encodes/verifies RFID labels, tags, and/or stickers attached to a continuous web. The industrial printer comprises a lighted sensor array for indexing the printing to the RFID tags; and a cutter powered from the industrial printer for cutting the web that the RFID tags are disposed on. The industrial printer comprises two RFID reader/writers that are individually controlled. Specifically, one of the RFID reader/writers comprises the ability to electronically encode the RFID tags while the web is moving; and the second RFID reader/writer uses an additional RFID module and antenna on the printer for verifying the data encoded to the RFID tags. The printer provides for successive writes to various memory blocks and optimizes the communication sequence between the interrogator and tag.

REGION-OF-INTEREST BASED PRINT QUALITY OPTIMIZATION
20180250950 · 2018-09-06 ·

A method for printing includes analyzing print quality requirements for a printing area; adjusting settings for heater elements (e.g., energy and/or firing durations) of strobe lines based on the requirements analysis; and providing a plurality of individual strobe signals to the strobe lines. The strobe signals can be transmitted simultaneously, for example with a field-programmable gate array. Analyzing print quality requirements can include separating the printing area into one or more areas of interest, such as rows and/or columns. For each area of interest individual print quality settings (e.g., darkness, contrast, and/or media sensitivity) may be selected.

INKJET RECORDING APPARATUS
20180207945 · 2018-07-26 · ·

In an inkjet recording apparatus, a control section forms a test chart in which a plurality of lines, each extending along the recording-medium width direction, are drawn arranged along the recording-medium conveyance direction by making the ink ejection nozzles eject ink, while gradually changing either ink ejection timing with respect to each of the ink ejection nozzles or a recording-medium conveyance speed. Furthermore, the control section checks for, and corrects, pixel deviation in the recording-medium conveyance direction based on the test chart.

THERMAL PRINTER

A thermal printer includes a thermal head, a drive data generation unit, a clock generation unit, and a drive data supply unit. The thermal head is configured such that a large number of heating elements divided into a plurality of blocks are mounted thereon, and is configured to input drive data for driving the large number of heating elements to the plurality of blocks in parallel in synchronization with a plurality of different first clock signals. The drive data generation unit is configured to generate a plurality of pieces of drive data for each of the plurality of blocks from print data and to output the plurality of pieces of drive data in synchronization with a plurality of second clock signals. The clock generation unit is configured to generate a plurality of clock signals whose phases are shifted from each other. The drive data supply unit is configured to take in the plurality of pieces of drive data, which are output from the drive data generation unit, in synchronization with the plurality of second clock signals and to supply the plurality of pieces of drive data to the thermal head in synchronization with the plurality of first clock signals.

Printer, printing method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing printing program

A printer performs printing on a thermosensitive medium including a plurality of color developing layers including a first layer developing a first color and a second layer developing a second color. The printer includes a head and a control device performing a printing control including outputting a signal pattern based on post-conversion image data converted from pre-conversion image data to cause a plurality of heat generation elements of the head to selectively generate heat while controlling conveyance of the thermosensitive medium. In the converting, when target dots containing the second color is included in the plurality of dots in the pre-conversion image data, the control device converts a color of conversion dots to a conversion color containing the color developed by any one of the plurality of color developing layers.

Thermal transfer printer and method for controlling the same

When sub-images are sequentially transferred and connected together to form a larger image than would be possible with a single transfer operation, the occurrence of a color change in the overlapping region of the sub-images is suppressed and the width of the overlapping region is reduced as much as possible. Color image data are divided into image data of two sub-images containing an overlapping region and having edges that coincide for each color ink transferred to paper. Color values of the color image data in the overlapping region are converted by using a color conversion factor group created in advance for each position on the overlapping region so as to cancel out a color change that occurs in the overlapping region when the sub-images are transferred with one overlapping the other. The image data of the sub-images are corrected by adjusting converted color values in the overlapping region by using a correction factor for print density at each position on the overlapping region. A color image is formed by sequentially transferring the sub-images in accordance with corrected image data thereof so that the sub-images overlap at the overlapping region.

Recording Medium and Printed Matter Producing Apparatus
20180154665 · 2018-06-07 ·

The disclosure discloses a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a print processing program for executing an increment mode acceptance step, a condition acceptance step, a determination step, and a data output step on a computing device. In the increment mode acceptance step, a setting operation of an increment mode of at least one print number is accepted. In the condition acceptance step, a setting of a specific numerical condition of the print number to be emphasized is accepted. In the determination step, it is determined whether or not the print number included in a corresponding a print object satisfies the numerical condition. In the data output step, in the case that it is determined that the print number satisfies the numerical condition, the print data is generated to apply a predetermined emphasis process to the print number.

Recording Medium and Printed Matter Producing Apparatus
20180154665 · 2018-06-07 ·

The disclosure discloses a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a print processing program for executing an increment mode acceptance step, a condition acceptance step, a determination step, and a data output step on a computing device. In the increment mode acceptance step, a setting operation of an increment mode of at least one print number is accepted. In the condition acceptance step, a setting of a specific numerical condition of the print number to be emphasized is accepted. In the determination step, it is determined whether or not the print number included in a corresponding a print object satisfies the numerical condition. In the data output step, in the case that it is determined that the print number satisfies the numerical condition, the print data is generated to apply a predetermined emphasis process to the print number.