Provided is a printing device that has a thermal head that transfers overcoat ink provided on an ink sheet onto the surface of printing paper based on pattern data. The pattern data is data in which a first pattern and a second pattern are arranged alternately in a primary scanning direction and a secondary scanning direction. The first pattern includes a rectangular block of high tonal value pixels, a frame-like group of low tonal value pixels surrounding the rectangular block, and a group of high tonal pixels surrounding the group of low tonal value pixels. The second pattern includes a rectangular block of low tonal value pixels, a group of high tonal value pixels surrounding the rectangular block, and a frame-like group of low tonal pixels surrounding the group of high tonal value pixels.

Provided is the image formation device which suppresses an occurrence of unevenness in density of the image and a time required to form the image. The image formation device forms images by moving the different ejection heads. One of the ejection heads ejects white ink from a first predetermined number of nozzles thereof. Another one of the ejection heads ejects color ink from the first predetermined number and a second predetermined number of nozzles thereof. The ejection heads that eject color ink move in a sub scan direction that is non-integral multiple of a distance between the adjacent nozzle holes and eject the color ink, and then move in the sub scan direction that corresponds to a length in the sub scan direction of an area of the ejection head in which the first predetermined number of the nozzles are arranged and eject the color ink.

Provided is the image formation device which suppresses an occurrence of unevenness in density of the image and a time required to form the image. The image formation device forms images by moving the different ejection heads. One of the ejection heads ejects white ink from a first predetermined number of nozzles thereof. Another one of the ejection heads ejects color ink from the first predetermined number and a second predetermined number of nozzles thereof. The ejection heads that eject color ink move in a sub scan direction that is non-integral multiple of a distance between the adjacent nozzle holes and eject the color ink, and then move in the sub scan direction that corresponds to a length in the sub scan direction of an area of the ejection head in which the first predetermined number of the nozzles are arranged and eject the color ink.

A liquid ejecting method includes ejecting droplets of an oil-based ink containing an oil-based medium onto a recording medium by using an ink jet head having a plurality of nozzles under the conditions satisfying relationships (1): fD4800; and relationship (2): 5Vd/30. In the relationships (1) and (2), D represents the nozzle pitch in dpi of the ink jet head, f represents the maximum ejection frequency in kHz, V represents the velocity in m/s of droplets ejected from the ink jet head, d represents the diameter in m of the droplets of the oil-based ink, represents the density in g/cm.sup.3 of the oil-based ink, and represents the viscosity in mPa.Math.s of the oil-based ink.

A liquid ejecting method includes ejecting droplets of an oil-based ink containing an oil-based medium onto a recording medium by using an ink jet head having a plurality of nozzles under the conditions satisfying relationships (1): fD4800; and relationship (2): 5Vd/30. In the relationships (1) and (2), D represents the nozzle pitch in dpi of the ink jet head, f represents the maximum ejection frequency in kHz, V represents the velocity in m/s of droplets ejected from the ink jet head, d represents the diameter in m of the droplets of the oil-based ink, represents the density in g/cm.sup.3 of the oil-based ink, and represents the viscosity in mPa.Math.s of the oil-based ink.

To prevent an insufficient development density of pixels with which a high-density image is recorded. Thermal energy to be applied to a pixel of interest is increased if a pixel immediately subsequent to the pixel of interest is one to which energy not causing heat propagation to the pixel of interest is applied.

A density determination method includes a first process, a second process, and a third process. In the first process, ink is discharged onto a medium to print a plurality of colorimetric patches having mutually different densities on the medium so as to allow each of the colorimetric patches to include a base portion serving as a background of the each of the colorimetric patches and a low density portion forming a symbol and having a density lower than a density of the base portion. In the second process, images each associated with a corresponding one of the colorimetric patches are acquired. In the third process, a maximum printing density value for the medium is determined on the basis of a result of recognizing the symbol through each of the images, having been acquired in the second process.

An input unit receives first image data corresponding to a first print image of a first ink. A density acquisition unit acquires a density value of each pixel included in the first image data. A glossy image density decision unit sets a gloss density value to the minimum possible value of the gloss density value when the density value of the pixel is less than a predetermined value, and sets the gloss density value to a value larger than the minimum possible value when the density value of the pixel is equal to or greater than the predetermined value. A dithering processor performs dithering based on the set gloss density value to create second image data corresponding to a second print image of a second glossy ink. A transfer device transfers the first and second print images on a print body to form a glossy image on the print body.

An input unit receives first image data corresponding to a first print image of a first ink. A density acquisition unit acquires a density value of each pixel included in the first image data. A glossy image density decision unit sets a gloss density value to the minimum possible value of the gloss density value when the density value of the pixel is less than a predetermined value, and sets the gloss density value to a value larger than the minimum possible value when the density value of the pixel is equal to or greater than the predetermined value. A dithering processor performs dithering based on the set gloss density value to create second image data corresponding to a second print image of a second glossy ink. A transfer device transfers the first and second print images on a print body to form a glossy image on the print body.

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. Further, the printer utilizes adaptive RFID power settings to prevent misreads and other errors when encoding tags.