JP2001334655A5

JP2001334655A5 -

Info

Publication number: JP2001334655A5
Application number: JP2000159432A
Authority: JP
Filing date: 2000-05-30
Publication date: 2004-10-07
Anticipated expiration: 2020-05-30

Description

【０００９】
【課題を解決するための手段およびその作用・効果】
上述の課題の少なくとも一部を解決するため、本発明では以下の手段を採用した。
本発明の第１の印刷制御装置は、
インクを吐出するための複数のノズルを有する印刷ヘッドを備え、前記印刷ヘッドにより印刷媒体上にドットを形成して印刷を行う印刷部に、異なるタイミングで形成される第１のドットと第２のドットとの間の形成位置のずれを調整するためのテストパターンを印刷させる印刷制御装置であって、
前記テストパターンは、所定の面積に所定の記録率で略同数の第１のドットと第２のドットとが形成されるパッチ状のパターンであり、前記第１のドットの形成密度が前記第２のドットの形成密度よりも高い第１の領域と、前記第２のドットの形成密度が前記第１のドットの形成密度よりも高い第２の領域とが、主走査方向および副走査方向に混在するテストパターンであることを要旨とする。[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems and Their Functions and Effects]
In order to solve at least a part of the problems described above, the present invention employs the following solutions.
The first print control device of the present invention includes:
A print head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink, wherein a first dot and a second dot which are formed at different timings are formed in a printing unit which forms dots on a print medium by the print head and performs printing. A print control device that prints a test pattern for adjusting a formation position deviation between dots and
The test pattern is a patch-shaped pattern in which substantially the same number of first dots and second dots are formed in a predetermined area at a predetermined recording rate, and the formation density of the first dots is equal to the second dot. The first area higher than the dot formation density of the first dot and the second area where the formation density of the second dot is higher than the formation density of the first dot coexist in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. The gist of the test pattern is that it is a test pattern.

【００１０】
本発明で用いるテストパターンは、所定の面積に所定の記録率で略同数の第１のドットと第２のドットとが形成されるパッチ状のパターンである。パッチ状のパターンは、ドット形成位置にずれが生じると顕著に印刷画質（ざらつき）に影響する。従って、パッチ状のパターンを用いることによって、ドット間の形成位置の相対的なずれに起因する粒状性を一定の領域で判断することができる。このため、従来の罫線パターンと比較してドットの形成位置の相対的なずれを判別しやすい。なお、「所定の面積に所定の記録率で」という文言は、所定の面積に一定の記録率のドットが形成される場合に限定されるものではない。従って、テストパターンは、記録率がパッチ内で段階的に変化しているパターンであってもよい。また、記録率が徐々に変化している（グラデーション）パターンであってもよい。また、「略同数の第１のドットと第２のドット」とは、第１のドットと第２のドットとが厳密に同一でなくてもよいことを意味している。[0010]
The test pattern used in the present invention is a patch-shaped pattern in which substantially the same number of first dots and second dots are formed in a predetermined area at a predetermined recording rate. When a shift occurs in the dot formation position, the patch-like pattern significantly affects print quality (roughness). Therefore, by using a patch-like pattern, it is possible to determine the graininess due to the relative shift of the formation position between dots in a certain area. For this reason, it is easier to determine the relative displacement of the dot formation position compared to the conventional ruled line pattern. Note that the phrase “at a predetermined area and at a predetermined recording rate” is not limited to a case where dots having a predetermined recording rate are formed at a predetermined area. Therefore, the test pattern may be a pattern in which the recording rate changes stepwise within the patch. Further, a pattern in which the recording rate changes gradually (gradation) may be used. Further, “ substantially the same number of first dots and second dots” means that the first dots and the second dots need not be exactly the same.

【００３９】
また、本発明は、以下に示すドットのずれを調整する調整方法として構成することも可能である。
即ち、本発明の第１の調整方法は、
インクを吐出するための複数のノズルを有する印刷ヘッドを備え、前記印刷ヘッドにより印刷媒体上にドットを形成して印刷を行う印刷部を用いて異なるタイミングで形成される第１のドットと第２のドットとの間の形成位置のずれを調整する調整方法であって、
（ａ）予め定められた異なる複数のタイミングで前記印刷ヘッドを駆動することによって、複数のテストパターンを前記第１のドットと前記第２のドットとの間の形成位置のずれを検出可能に印刷する工程と、
（ｂ）前記印刷された複数のテストパターンの中から最適なテストパターンを選択する工程と、
（ｃ）前記選択されたテストパターンに対応した前記印刷ヘッドの駆動タイミングを設定する工程と、
を備え、
前記工程（ａ）において、前記テストパターンは、所定の面積に所定の記録率で略同数の第１のドットと第２のドットとが形成されるパッチ状のパターンであり、前記第１のドットの形成密度が前記第２のドットの形成密度よりも高い第１の領域と、前記第２のドットの形成密度が前記第１のドットの形成密度よりも高い第２の領域とが、主走査方向および副走査方向に混在するテストパターンである、調整方法である。[0039]
Further, the present invention can be configured as an adjustment method for adjusting a dot shift described below.
That is, the first adjustment method of the present invention includes:
A print head having a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink, a first dot and a second dot formed at different timings by using a printing unit that forms dots on a print medium by the print head and performs printing. An adjustment method for adjusting the deviation of the formation position between the dots and
(A) By driving the print head at a plurality of different timings determined in advance, a plurality of test patterns are printed so as to be able to detect a displacement of a formation position between the first dot and the second dot. The process of
(B) selecting an optimal test pattern from the plurality of printed test patterns;
(C) setting a drive timing of the print head corresponding to the selected test pattern;
With
In the step (a), the test pattern is a patch-shaped pattern in which substantially the same number of first dots and second dots are formed in a predetermined area at a predetermined recording rate. The first region in which the formation density of the second dot is higher than the formation density of the second dot and the second region in which the formation density of the second dot is higher than the formation density of the first dot are formed by main scanning. This is an adjustment method that is a test pattern mixed in the direction and the sub-scanning direction.

【００４１】
なお、本発明の調整方法において、
前記印刷部は、Ｎ種類（Ｎは２以上の整数）のドットを形成可能であり、
前記工程（ａ）は、前記Ｎ種類のドットのうちのＭ種類（Ｍは２以上Ｎ以下の整数）のドットについて前記テストパターンを印刷する工程を含み、
前記工程（ｂ）は、前記Ｍ種類のドットについて前記最適なテストパターンを選択する工程を含み、
前記工程（ｃ）は、前記選択されたＭ種類のテストパターンに対応したＭ個の印刷ヘッドの駆動タイミングに基づく所定の関数によって、前記印刷ヘッドの駆動タイミングを決定する工程を含むものとしてもよい。[0041]
In the adjustment method of the present invention,
The printing unit can form N types of dots (N is an integer of 2 or more),
The step (a) includes a step of printing the test pattern for M dots (M is an integer of 2 or more and N or less) of the N kinds of dots,
The step (b) includes a step of selecting the optimum test pattern for the M types of dots,
The step (c) by a predetermined function based on the drive timing of the M print heads correspond to M types of test patterns said selected also as including the step of determining the drive timing of the print head Good.

Claims

A print head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink, wherein a first dot and a second dot which are formed at different timings are formed in a printing unit which forms dots on a print medium by the print head and performs printing. A print control device that prints a test pattern for adjusting a formation position deviation between dots and
The test pattern is a patch-shaped pattern in which substantially the same number of first dots and second dots are formed in a predetermined area at a predetermined recording rate, and the formation density of the first dots is equal to the second dot. The first area higher than the dot formation density of the first dot and the second area where the formation density of the second dot is higher than the formation density of the first dot coexist in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. A print control device that is a test pattern to be executed.

A test pattern for adjusting a shift of a formation position between a first dot and a second dot formed at different timings,
A patch-like pattern in which substantially the same number of first dots and second dots are formed in a predetermined area at a predetermined recording rate, and the formation density of the first dots is equal to the formation density of the second dots. A test pattern in which a first area higher than the first area and a second area where the formation density of the second dots is higher than the formation density of the first dots are two-dimensionally mixed.

A print head having a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink, a first dot and a second dot formed at different timings by using a printing unit that forms dots on a print medium by the print head and performs printing. An adjustment method for adjusting the deviation of the formation position between the dots and
(A) By driving the print head at a plurality of different timings determined in advance, a plurality of test patterns are printed so as to be able to detect a displacement of a formation position between the first dot and the second dot. The process of
(B) selecting an optimal test pattern from the plurality of printed test patterns;
(C) setting a drive timing of the print head corresponding to the selected test pattern;
With
In the step (a), the test pattern is a patch-shaped pattern in which substantially the same number of first dots and second dots are formed in a predetermined area at a predetermined recording rate. The first area where the formation density of the second dot is higher than the formation density of the second dot, and the second area where the formation density of the second dot is higher than the formation density of the first dot are the main scanning. An adjustment method that is a test pattern mixed in the direction and the sub-scanning direction.