Embodiments of the invention take advantage of the change in gloss caused by overprinting a printed image with clear ink. Embodiments of the invention thus implement gloss control functionality in a printer without the requirements of a pin and cure or other known systems.

A method for printing a three-dimensional object includes printing a structural layer onto a three-dimensional object, printing a first color layer onto a first region of the structural layer, and printing a second color layer onto a second region of the structural layer. The first region includes a first structural thickness, and the second region includes a second structural thickness, which is different than the first structural thickness. The first color layer includes a first color and a first color thickness, and the first color thickness and the first structural thickness in combination form a target thickness. The second color layer includes a second color and a second color thickness, and the second color thickness and the second structural thickness in combination form the target thickness.

The present invention relates to an ink-jet printing method that is capable of obtaining good printed characters or images which are free of occurrence of white lines or streaks irrespective of irradiation with an active energy ray. The present invention provides an ink-jet printing method including the steps of ejecting at least one ink A selected from the group consisting of a black ink and chromatic inks onto a low-liquid absorbing printing medium and then ejecting a white ink thereonto, in which the ink A contains at least one pigment selected from the group consisting of a black pigment and chromatic pigments, and a polymer dispersant containing a constitutional unit derived from a polyalkylene glycol (meth)acrylate; and the white ink contains titanium oxide and a polymer dispersant containing a constitutional unit derived from a polyalkylene glycol (meth)acrylate.

A printer is disclosed. The printer is calibrated for use with colored media. The printer is calibrated by converting an original color look up table (CLUT) for use on any colored media to a modified CLUT for use on colored media with a measured color. Each of a plurality of output colors in the original CLUT are modified using the measured color of the media.

An example of a color management module is disclosed. The color management module is to generate a mapping from an incoming color space to a printer color space by a color pipeline. In the generation of the mapping, the color pipeline is adjusted so that the mapping of a target color associated with a first composition further includes adding a quantity of a second composition to the mapping of the target color. The second composition comprises a lower visibility than the first composition.

A digital printing system (10) includes a print head (622) and a processor (20). The print head is configured to jet droplets of ink. The processor is further configured to translate a required shade of a color, to be printed at a given location on a substrate by tire print head, into a sequence of pulses (625, 630), the sequence including: (a) up to a predefined maximum number of driving pulses (625) that cause the print head to jet respective droplets, and (b) a tickling pulse (630), 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.

A printing machine (10) for printing on a substrate having the form of a web (12) is described. It comprises a web entry unit (14) for receiving the web (12) on which a printing process is to be performed and a web exit unit (20) for dispensing the web (12) after the printing process. Furthermore, at least two printing units (26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38) are provided, wherein each of the printing units (26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38) is configured for applying an ink of a predetermined color on the web (12). Additionally at least two web paths (A, B) are provided between the web entry unit (14) and the web exit unit (20), each of the web paths (A, B) passing by all of the printing units (26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38). The web paths (A, B) pass the printing units (26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38) in a differing sequence. Moreover, a method for changing a color sequence within a printing process is presented. According to this method, the web (12) is arranged along an alternative web path (A, B) passing by the printing units (26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38) in a differing sequence, whereas a travelling direction of the web remains the same.

Provided are a printed matter forming method and a printed matter forming system for forming a printed matter in which the texture of the surface of a target object is satisfactorily reproduced.

In the printed matter forming method and the printed matter forming system according to embodiments of the present invention, a printed matter is formed by forming a printing layer on the surface of the internal scattering member in order to reproduce the texture of the surface of the target object. Further, in the present invention, the first light scattering characteristic data about the light scattering characteristic with respect to the incident light on the surface of the target object, the second light scattering characteristic data for each type of fluid relating to the light scattering characteristic of the fluid constituting the printing layer, and the third light scattering characteristic data about the light scattering characteristic of the internal scattering member are acquired. Further, in the present invention, the light scattering characteristic of the printed matter corresponding to the formation condition of the printing layer is estimated based on the second light scattering characteristic data and the third light scattering characteristic data for each type, and the printing layer is formed on the surface of the internal scattering member in accordance with the formation condition which is set based on the estimated light scattering characteristics of the printed matter and the first light scattering characteristic data.

Disclosed is a printing system including at least one processor and a print head which performs printing on a printing target. The processor sets an application amount of a base ink to be applied to the printing target according to a design to be printed on the printing target by the print head, and controls the print head to apply the base ink to the printing target based on the set application amount of the base ink.

A printing apparatus includes a printing head including a nozzle configured to discharge a dot of a first size and a dot of a second size smaller than the first size, the dots being ink dots, and a control unit configured to control the printing head to print, on a printing medium, a test pattern for inspecting a state of ink discharge by the nozzle. The test pattern includes a first pattern element formed by a plurality of the dots of the first size and a second pattern element formed by a plurality of the dots of the second size. The control unit causes the printing head to print the test pattern where a number of the dots of the second size forming the second pattern element is greater than a number of the dots of the first size forming the first pattern element.