JP2005319616A - Printing controller, printer, printing method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing controller which reduces a load of calculation. <P>SOLUTION: The printing controller forms a plurality of dot trains in a transfer direction to a medium by alternately repeating a dot formation process of forming the dot arrays along a moving direction to the medium by discharging ink from a plurality of nozzles which move in the moving direction, and a transfer process of transferring the medium to the nozzles in the transfer direction. In the printing controller, information which makes positions in the transfer direction of the dot arrays formed in the dot formation process and the nozzles that form the dot arrays correspond to each other is stored in a memory for every dot formation process. At the time of storing the information into the memory for every dot formation process, when the position of the information in a certain dot formation process agrees with the position of the information in another dot formation process, one of the information is deleted. At the time of the dot formation process, the information related to the dot formation process is extracted from the memory, and the nozzles indicated by the extracted information form the dot arrays on the position indicated by the information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control apparatus, a printing apparatus, a printing method, and a program.

2. Related Art Inkjet printers that perform printing by discharging ink onto a medium such as paper (including cloth and OHP sheets) are known. In such an ink jet printer, a dot forming process that forms ink by ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles that move in the movement direction and a conveyance process that conveys paper in the conveyance direction are repeated to form a plurality of dot lines. The printed image is printed on paper.
JP-A-11-268344

When ink is ejected from a nozzle, if a dot row is formed at a position where a dot row has already been formed, the dot row is formed darker than other dot rows. Therefore, when the position of a dot row that can be formed in a certain dot formation process is the same as the position of a dot row that can be formed in another dot formation process, the dot line is not formed in one dot formation process. There is a need.
However, the operation of comprehensively comparing the positions of dot rows that can be formed in a certain dot forming process and the positions of dot rows that can be formed in another dot forming process increases the computational load.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the calculation load.

  The main invention for achieving the above object is to form a dot row along the moving direction by ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles moving in the moving direction, and use the medium as the nozzle. In contrast, a printing control apparatus that alternately and repeatedly performs a transport process for transporting in the transport direction, and forms the plurality of dot arrays on the medium in the transport direction, wherein the dot array formed in the dot formation process When the information in which the position in the transport direction is associated with the nozzle that forms the dot row is stored in the memory for each dot forming process, and the information is stored in the memory for each dot forming process, When the position of the information in a certain dot formation process matches the position of the information in another dot formation process, one of the information is deleted and the dot formation is performed In the processing, the information relating to the dot formation processing is extracted from the memory, and the nozzle indicated by the extracted information forms the dot row at the position indicated by the information. .

  Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

=== Summary of disclosure ===
At least the following matters will become clear from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

A dot forming process for ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles moving in the movement direction to form a dot row along the movement direction on the medium, and a conveyance process for conveying the medium in the conveyance direction with respect to the nozzles Repeat alternately,
A printing control apparatus that forms a plurality of dot rows on the medium in the transport direction,
Information that associates the position in the transport direction of the dot row formed in the dot formation process with the nozzle that forms the dot row is stored in a memory for each dot formation process,
When the information is stored in the memory for each dot forming process, when the position of the information in a certain dot forming process matches the position of the information in another dot forming process, the one information is Delete,
During the dot formation process,
Extracting the information about the dot formation process from the memory;
The printing control apparatus, wherein the nozzle indicated by the extracted information forms the dot row at the position indicated by the information.
According to such a print control apparatus, the calculation load can be reduced.

  In this print control apparatus, when the information is stored in the memory for each dot formation process, the position of the information in one dot formation process matches the position of the information in another dot formation process When doing so, it is desirable to delete the information previously stored in the memory. Thereby, the calculation load can be reduced.

  In such a printing control apparatus, when the dot row is formed by a different printing method at the center portion and the edge portion of the medium, the information at the edge portion is set before the information regarding the printing method at the center portion. It is desirable to store information relating to the printing method in the memory. Thereby, the image quality can be improved.

  In such a print control apparatus, it is desirable that there is a nozzle that does not eject the ink during the dot formation process. According to such a printing control apparatus, it is possible to reduce the calculation load for specifying the non-ejection nozzle.

  In such a print control apparatus, in the case of forming a dot at a specific position in the movement direction during the dot formation process, it is preferable that the position in the movement direction is stored in the memory in association with the information. . Thereby, even when a plurality of nozzles form one dot row, the calculation load can be reduced.

  In such a printing control apparatus, when printing on a plurality of the media, before printing on the first medium, the information is stored in the memory for each dot forming process, and based on the information, It is desirable to perform the next printing of the medium. As a result, it is possible to reduce the calculation load when printing the second and subsequent sheets.

  In such a print control apparatus, it is preferable to determine which dot formation processing the information relates to based on the nozzle and the position indicated by the information. Since only the information is extracted, the calculation load can be reduced compared to the case of the reference example (described later).

A dot forming process for ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles moving in the movement direction to form a dot row along the movement direction on the medium, and a conveyance process for conveying the medium in the conveyance direction with respect to the nozzles Repeat alternately,
A printing method for forming a plurality of dot rows on the medium in the transport direction,
Information that associates the position of the dot row formed in the dot formation process in the transport direction with the nozzle that forms the dot row is stored in a memory for each dot formation process,
When the information is stored in the memory for each dot forming process, when the position of the information in a certain dot forming process matches the position of the information in another dot forming process, the one information is Delete,
During the dot formation process,
Extracting the information about the dot formation process from the memory;
The printing method, wherein the nozzle indicated by the extracted information forms the dot row at the position indicated by the information.
According to such a printing method, the calculation load can be reduced.

A dot forming process for ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles moving in the movement direction to form a dot row along the movement direction on the medium, and a conveyance process for conveying the medium in the conveyance direction with respect to the nozzles Repeat alternately,
In a printing apparatus that forms a plurality of dot rows on the medium in the transport direction,
A function of storing, in the memory for each dot forming process, information that associates the position in the transport direction of the dot row formed in the dot forming process with the nozzle that forms the dot row;
When the information is stored in the memory for each dot forming process, when the position of the information in a certain dot forming process matches the position of the information in another dot forming process, the one information is A function to delete,
During the dot formation process,
Extracting the information about the dot formation process from the memory;
A program for realizing the function of forming the dot row at the position indicated by the information by the nozzle indicated by the extracted information.
According to such a program, the calculation load can be reduced.

=== Configuration of Printing System ===
Next, an embodiment of a printing system (computer system) will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the description of the following embodiments includes embodiments relating to a computer program and a recording medium on which the computer program is recorded.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an external configuration of a printing system. The printing system 100 includes a printer 1, a computer 110, a display device 120, an input device 130, and a recording / reproducing device 140. The printer 1 is a printing apparatus that prints an image on a medium such as paper, cloth, or film. The computer 110 is communicably connected to the printer 1 and outputs print data corresponding to the image to be printed to the printer 1 in order to cause the printer 1 to print an image. The display device 120 has a display and displays a user interface such as an application program or a printer driver. The input device 130 is, for example, a keyboard 130A or a mouse 130B, and is used for operating an application program, setting a printer driver, or the like along a user interface displayed on the display device 120. As the recording / reproducing device 140, for example, a flexible disk drive device 140A or a CD-ROM drive device 140B is used.

  A printer driver is installed in the computer 110. The printer driver is a program for realizing the function of displaying the user interface on the display device 120 and the function of converting the image data output from the application program into print data. This printer driver is recorded on a recording medium (computer-readable recording medium) such as a flexible disk FD or a CD-ROM. Alternatively, the printer driver can be downloaded to the computer 110 via the Internet. In addition, this program is comprised from the code | cord | chord for implement | achieving various functions.

  The “printing apparatus” means the printer 1 in a narrow sense, but means a system of the printer 1 and the computer 110 in a broad sense.

=== Printer driver ===
<About the printer driver>
FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram of basic processing performed by the printer driver. The components already described are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
In the computer 110, computer programs such as a video driver 112, an application program 114, and a printer driver 116 are operating under an operating system installed in the computer. The video driver 112 has a function of displaying, for example, a user interface on the display device 120 in accordance with display commands from the application program 114 and the printer driver 116. The application program 114 has a function of performing image editing, for example, and creates data related to an image (image data). The user can give an instruction to print an image edited by the application program 114 via the user interface of the application program 114. Upon receiving a print instruction, the application program 114 outputs image data to the printer driver 116.

  The printer driver 116 receives image data from the application program 114, converts the image data into print data, and outputs the print data to the printer. Here, the print data is data in a format that can be interpreted by the printer 1, and is data having various command data and pixel data. Here, the command data is data for instructing the printer to execute a specific operation. The pixel data is data relating to pixels constituting an image to be printed (printed image). For example, data relating to dots formed at positions on the paper corresponding to a certain pixel (such as dot color and size). Data).

  The printer driver 116 performs resolution conversion processing, color conversion processing, halftone processing, rasterization processing, and the like in order to convert image data output from the application program 114 into print data. Hereinafter, various processes performed by the printer driver 116 will be described.

  The resolution conversion process is a process of converting image data (text data, image data, etc.) output from the application program 114 into a resolution for printing on paper. For example, when the resolution for printing an image on paper is specified as 720 × 720 dpi, the image data received from the application program 114 is converted into image data having a resolution of 720 × 720 dpi. Note that the image data after the resolution conversion process is multi-gradation (for example, 256 gradations) RGB data represented by an RGB color space. Hereinafter, RGB data obtained by performing resolution conversion processing on image data is referred to as RGB image data.

  The color conversion process is a process for converting RGB data into CMYK data represented by a CMYK color space. The CMYK data is data corresponding to the ink color of the printer. This color conversion processing is performed by the printer driver 116 referring to a table (color conversion lookup table LUT) in which gradation values of RGB image data and gradation values of CMYK image data are associated with each other. Through this color conversion process, RGB data for each pixel is converted into CMYK data corresponding to the ink color. The data after the color conversion processing is CMYK data with 256 gradations represented by the CMYK color space. Hereinafter, CMYK data obtained by performing color conversion processing on RGB image data is referred to as CMYK image data.

  The halftone process is a process for converting high gradation number data into gradation number data that can be formed by a printer. For example, data representing 256 gradations is converted into 1-bit data representing 2 gradations or 2-bit data representing 4 gradations by halftone processing. In the halftone process, pixel data is created by using a dither method, γ correction, error diffusion method, or the like so that the printer can form dots dispersedly. When performing halftone processing, the printer driver 116 refers to a dither table when performing a dither method, refers to a gamma table when performing γ correction, and refers to a diffused error when performing an error diffusion method. Refer to the error memory for storage. The data subjected to the halftone process has a resolution (for example, 720 × 720 dpi) equivalent to the RGB data described above. The halftoned data is composed of 1-bit or 2-bit data for each pixel, for example. Hereinafter, of the halftone processed data, 1-bit data is referred to as binary data, and 2-bit data is referred to as multi-value data.

  The rasterization process is a process of changing matrix image data in the order of data to be transferred to the printer. The rasterized data is output to the printer as pixel data included in the print data.

<About printer driver settings>
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the user interface of the printer driver. The user interface of this printer driver is displayed on the display device via the video driver 112. The user can make various settings of the printer driver using the input device 130.

The user can select a print mode from this screen. For example, the user can select the high-speed print mode or the fine print mode as the print mode. Then, the printer driver converts the image data into print data so as to have a format corresponding to the selected print mode.
Further, the user can select the printing resolution (dot interval when printing) from this screen. For example, the user can select 720 dpi or 360 dpi as the print resolution from this screen. Then, the printer driver performs resolution conversion processing according to the selected resolution, and converts the image data into print data.
Further, the user can select a printing paper used for printing from this screen. For example, the user can select plain paper or glossy paper as the printing paper. If the paper type (paper type) is different, the ink bleeding and drying methods are also different, so the ink amount suitable for printing also differs. Therefore, the printer driver converts the image data into print data according to the selected paper type.

  As described above, the printer driver converts the image data into print data according to the conditions set via the user interface. The user can make various settings of the printer driver from this screen, and can also know the remaining amount of ink in the cartridge.

=== Configuration of Printer ===
<Inkjet printer configuration>
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the overall configuration of the printer 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of the printer 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the overall configuration of the printer 1 of the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the basic configuration of the printer of this embodiment will be described.

  The printer 1 of this embodiment includes a transport unit 20, a carriage unit 30, a head unit 40, a detector group 50, and a controller 60. The printer 1 that has received print data from the computer 110, which is an external device, controls each unit (the conveyance unit 20, the carriage unit 30, and the head unit 40) by the controller 60. The controller 60 controls each unit based on the print data received from the computer 110 and prints an image on paper. The situation in the printer 1 is monitored by a detector group 50, and the detector group 50 outputs a detection result to the controller 60. The controller 60 controls each unit based on the detection result output from the sensor group 50.

  The transport unit 20 is for feeding a medium (for example, paper S) to a printable position and transporting the paper by a predetermined transport amount in a predetermined direction (hereinafter referred to as a transport direction) during printing. That is, the transport unit 20 functions as a transport mechanism (transport means) that transports paper. The transport unit 20 includes a paper feed roller 21, a transport motor 22 (also referred to as a PF motor), a transport roller 23, a platen 24, and a paper discharge roller 25. However, in order for the transport unit 20 to function as a transport mechanism, all of these components are not necessarily required. The paper feed roller 21 is a roller for feeding the paper inserted into the paper insertion slot into the printer. The paper feed roller 21 has a D-shaped cross section, and the length of the circumferential portion is set longer than the transport distance to the transport roller 23. 23 can be conveyed. The transport motor 22 is a motor for transporting paper in the transport direction, and is configured by a DC motor, for example. The transport roller 23 is a roller that transports the paper S fed by the paper feed roller 21 to a printable area, and is driven by the transport motor 22. The platen 24 supports the paper S being printed. The paper discharge roller 25 is a roller for discharging the paper S to the outside of the printer, and is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the printable area. The paper discharge roller 25 rotates in synchronization with the transport roller 23.

  The carriage unit 30 is for moving (also referred to as “scanning”) the head in a predetermined direction (hereinafter referred to as a moving direction). The carriage unit 30 includes a carriage 31 and a carriage motor 32 (also referred to as a CR motor). The carriage 31 can reciprocate in the moving direction. (Thus, the head moves along the moving direction.) The carriage 31 detachably holds an ink cartridge that stores ink. The carriage motor 32 is a motor for moving the carriage 31 in the movement direction, and is constituted by, for example, a DC motor.

  The head unit 40 is for ejecting ink onto paper. The head unit 40 has a head 41. The head 41 has a plurality of nozzles, and ejects ink intermittently from each nozzle. The head 41 is provided on the carriage 31. Therefore, when the carriage 31 moves in the movement direction, the head 41 also moves in the movement direction. Then, by intermittently ejecting ink while the head 41 is moving in the moving direction, dot lines (raster lines) along the moving direction are formed on the paper.

  The detector group 50 includes a linear encoder 51, a rotary encoder 52, a paper detection sensor 53, an optical sensor 54, and the like. The linear encoder 51 is for detecting the position of the carriage 31 in the moving direction. The rotary encoder 52 is for detecting the rotation amount of the transport roller 23. The paper detection sensor 53 is for detecting the position of the leading edge of the paper to be printed. The paper detection sensor 53 is provided at a position where the position of the leading edge of the paper can be detected while the paper feed roller 21 feeds the paper toward the transport roller 23. The paper detection sensor 53 is a mechanical sensor that detects the leading edge of the paper by a mechanical mechanism. More specifically, the paper detection sensor 53 has a lever that can rotate in the transport direction, and this lever is disposed so as to protrude into the paper transport path. For this reason, since the leading edge of the paper comes into contact with the lever and the lever is rotated, the paper detection sensor 53 detects the position of the leading edge of the paper by detecting the movement of the lever. The optical sensor 54 is attached to the carriage 31. The optical sensor 54 detects the presence or absence of paper by the light receiving unit detecting reflected light of light irradiated on the paper from the light emitting unit. The optical sensor 54 can detect the position of the edge of the paper while being moved by the carriage 31 to detect the width of the paper. The optical sensor 54 also detects the leading end (the end on the downstream side in the transport direction, also referred to as the upper end) and the rear end (the end on the upstream side in the transport direction, also referred to as the lower end) depending on the situation. it can. Since the optical sensor 54 optically detects the edge of the paper, the detection accuracy is higher than that of the mechanical paper detection sensor 53.

  The controller 60 is a control unit (control means) for controlling the printer. The controller 60 includes an interface unit 61, a CPU 62, a memory 63, and a unit control circuit 64. The interface unit 61 is for transmitting and receiving data between the computer 110 which is an external device and the printer 1. The CPU 62 is an arithmetic processing unit for controlling the entire printer. The memory 63 is for securing an area for storing the program of the CPU 62, a work area, and the like, and has storage means such as a RAM and an EEPROM. The CPU 62 controls each unit via the unit control circuit 64 in accordance with a program stored in the memory 63.

<About printing operation>
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of processing during printing. Each process described below is executed by the controller 60 controlling each unit in accordance with a program stored in the memory 63. This program has a code for executing each process.

  Print command reception (S001): First, the controller 60 receives a print command from the computer 110 via the interface unit 61. This print command is included in the header of print data transmitted from the computer 110. Then, the controller 60 analyzes the contents of various commands included in the received print data, and performs the following paper feed processing / conveyance processing / dot formation processing using each unit.

  Paper Feed Process (S002): The paper feed process is a process for supplying paper to be printed into the printer and positioning the paper at a print start position (also referred to as a cue position). The controller 60 rotates the paper feed roller 21 and sends the paper to be printed to the transport roller 23. Subsequently, the controller 60 rotates the transport roller 23 to position the paper fed from the paper feed roller 21 at the print start position. When the paper is positioned at the print start position, at least some of the nozzles of the head 41 are opposed to the paper.

  Dot Forming Process (S003): The dot forming process is a process for forming dots on paper by intermittently ejecting ink from a head that moves in the moving direction. The controller 60 drives the carriage motor 32 to move the carriage 31 in the movement direction. Then, the controller 60 ejects ink from the head based on the print data while the carriage 31 is moving. When ink droplets ejected from the head 41 land on the paper, dots are formed on the paper. Since ink is intermittently ejected from the moving head 41, a dot row (raster line) composed of a plurality of dots along the moving direction is formed on the paper.

  Conveyance process (S004): The conveyance process is a process of moving the paper relative to the head in the conveyance direction. The controller 60 drives the carry motor and rotates the carry roller to carry the paper in the carrying direction. By this carrying process, the head 41 can form dots at positions different from the positions of the dots formed by the previous dot formation process.

  Paper discharge determination (S005): The controller 60 determines whether or not to discharge the paper being printed. If data to be printed remains on the paper being printed, no paper is discharged. Then, the controller 60 alternately repeats the dot formation process and the conveyance process until there is no more data to be printed, and gradually prints an image composed of dots on paper.

  Paper Discharge Process (S006): When there is no more data to be printed on the paper being printed, the controller 60 discharges the paper by rotating the paper discharge roller. The determination of whether or not to discharge paper may be based on a paper discharge command included in the print data.

  Print end determination (S007): Next, the controller 60 determines whether or not to continue printing. If printing is to be performed on the next paper, printing is continued and the paper feeding process for the next paper is started. If printing is not performed on the next paper, the printing operation is terminated.

<About nozzle>
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of nozzles on the lower surface of the head 41. On the lower surface of the head 41, a black ink nozzle group K, a cyan ink nozzle group C, a magenta ink nozzle group M, and a yellow ink nozzle group Y are formed. Each nozzle group includes a plurality of nozzles (180 in this embodiment) that are ejection openings for ejecting ink of each color.

  The plurality of nozzles of each nozzle group are aligned at a constant interval (nozzle pitch: k · D) along the transport direction. Here, D is the minimum dot pitch in the carrying direction (that is, the interval at the highest resolution of dots formed on the paper S). K is an integer of 1 or more. For example, when the nozzle pitch is 180 dpi (1/180 inch) and the dot pitch in the transport direction is 540 dpi (1/540 inch), k = 3.

The nozzles of each nozzle group are assigned a smaller number as the nozzles on the downstream side (# 1 to # 180). That is, the nozzle # 1 is located downstream of the nozzle # 180 in the transport direction. It should be noted that the optical sensor 54 described above is located at substantially the same position as the nozzle # 180 on the most upstream side with respect to the position in the paper transport direction.
Each nozzle is provided with an ink chamber (not shown) and a piezoelectric element. By driving the piezo element, the ink chamber expands and contracts, and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles.

=== Printing Method of the Present Embodiment ===
<Regarding normal interlaced printing>
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of interlaced printing. For convenience of explanation, the head (or nozzle group) is depicted as moving with respect to the paper, but this figure shows the relative position of the head and the paper. The paper is moved in the transport direction. For convenience of explanation, only one nozzle group is illustrated, but actually four nozzle groups are provided in the head. For convenience of explanation, only five nozzles are depicted in the nozzle group, but 180 nozzles are actually provided. The figure shows the position of the head (or nozzle group) and the state of dot formation in pass 1 to pass 6.

  “Interlaced printing” means printing by a method in which k is 2 or more and a raster line not recorded is sandwiched between raster lines recorded in one pass. In addition, “pass” means that the nozzle scans once in the scanning direction (meaning the above-described dot formation processing). A “raster line” is a row of dots arranged in the scanning direction and is also called a scanning line.

  In interlace printing, each time the paper is transported in the transport direction by a constant transport amount F, each nozzle records a raster line immediately above the raster line recorded in the immediately preceding pass. In order to perform recording with a constant carry amount in this way, the number N (integer) of nozzles that can eject ink is relatively prime to k, and the carry amount F is set to N · D.

  In the figure, the nozzle group has five nozzles arranged along the transport direction. Therefore, all nozzles are used in order to satisfy “N and k are relatively prime”, which is a condition for performing interlaced printing. Further, since five nozzles are used, the paper is transported with a transport amount of 5 · D. As a result, for example, using a nozzle group having a nozzle pitch of 180 dpi (3 · D), dots are formed on the paper at a dot interval of 540 dpi (= D).

  In the figure, the first raster line is formed by nozzle # 1 in pass 1, the second raster line is formed by nozzle # 2 in pass 1, and the third raster line is formed by nozzle # 1 in pass 2. It shows how the nozzle # 3 of pass 1 forms the fourth raster line. A raster line continuous in the transport direction is formed from the fifth raster line.

<About top-end processing printing>
When interlace printing as described above is performed from the beginning, some raster lines may not be formed continuously. For example, in FIG. 9, the first, second, third and fourth raster lines are not formed as raster lines continuous in the transport direction. Therefore, the printer forms raster lines that are continuous in the transport direction by “upper end printing” as described below.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of upper end printing. In the same figure, description of items already described is omitted. In the figure, nozzles indicated by black circles are nozzles that can eject ink, and nozzles indicated by white circles are nozzles that cannot eject ink.
In the upper-end printing, the transport amount in the transport process between pass 1 and pass 2 and the transport amount in the transport process between pass 2 and pass 3 are D. Then, the transport amount in the transport process after pass 3 is set to 5 · D as in the case of normal interlaced printing (normal interlaced printing is started from pass 3 onward).
In this way, it is possible to form a raster line continuous in the transport direction from the first raster line. Similarly, if rear end printing (described later) is performed, raster lines continuous in the transport direction up to the last raster line can be formed.

<About non-ejection nozzles>
By the way, in the above upper end printing, the nozzle # 5 in pass 1 does not eject ink. If the thirteenth raster line is formed by ejecting ink from the nozzle # 5 in pass 1, the nozzle # 1 in pass 5 forms the same raster line, so that the thirteenth raster line is formed in duplicate. This is because it is formed darker than other raster lines. Here, there is a method in which the nozzle # 1 in pass 5 is a non-ejection nozzle, but in this embodiment, priority is given to nozzle # 1 in pass 5 for performing normal interlaced printing, and nozzle # 5 in pass 1 is used. This is a non-ejection nozzle. Thus, by giving priority to the nozzles in the pass for performing the normal interlaced printing over the nozzles in the pass for performing the upper end printing, the number of raster lines formed by the normal interlaced printing is increased, and the image quality of the printed image is improved. .
Similarly, the nozzles # 3 to # 5 in pass 2 form the same raster line as the nozzles # 1 to # 3 in pass 4 and therefore do not eject ink.

  As described above, when upper end printing is performed, nozzles that should not eject ink appear. For this reason, the printer driver needs to determine a non-ejection nozzle.

=== Determination Method of Non-Discharge Nozzle in Reference Example ===
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a non-ejection nozzle determination method of the reference example. This figure shows the process of determining whether or not to eject ink from nozzle # 5 in pass 1.
First, the printer driver determines the position of nozzle # 5 in pass 1 (the number of the raster line formed by nozzle # 5). Next, the printer driver calculates the position of nozzle # 1 in pass 3 and compares it with the position of nozzle # 5 in pass 1 to confirm that the positions of the two do not match. Similarly, the printer driver calculates the positions of nozzles # 2 to # 5 in pass 3 and compares them with the position of nozzle # 5 in pass 1, and confirms that the positions of the two do not match. Next, the printer driver calculates the positions of nozzle # 1 to nozzle # 5 in pass 4 and compares them with the position of nozzle # 5 in pass 1 to confirm that they do not match. Next, the printer driver calculates the position of nozzle # 1 in pass 5 and compares it with the position of nozzle # 5 in pass 1. Here, the printer driver confirms that both positions match. The printer driver determines that the nozzle # 5 in pass 1 is a non-ejection nozzle because pass 5 is a normal interlaced printing pass.

  The printer driver of the reference example has to perform the above processing for each nozzle in each pass. In other words, in the reference example, the printer driver must calculate the position of each nozzle in each pass one by one and comprehensively compare the calculation results. For this reason, the load on the computer on which the printer driver is installed increases, and it takes time to generate print data. In particular, the description is made with five nozzles for simplification, but since the actual number of nozzles is 180, the amount of calculation performed by the printer driver becomes enormous and the load on the computer increases.

=== Printing Method of the Present Embodiment ===
In the printing method of the present embodiment, first, the printer driver creates a scheduling table. This scheduling table is a table in which raster line positions are associated with nozzles forming the raster lines. Then, the printer driver performs rasterization processing based on this scheduling table, and determines from which nozzle ink is to be ejected (which nozzle is to be a non-ejection nozzle).
Below, the printing method of this embodiment is demonstrated in order.

<About creating a scheduling table>
In the present embodiment, when creating the scheduling table, the printer driver virtually moves the head (virtual head) with respect to the paper in the same way as during actual printing. Then, the printer driver creates a scheduling table by associating the position of each nozzle of the head with the position of the raster line.

  FIG. 12A is an explanatory diagram of virtual printing. FIG. 12B is an explanatory diagram of parameters for setting conditions for virtual printing. These virtual printing parameters are determined based on the printing mode and the paper size.

  In the virtual printing 1, the head is virtually moved with respect to the paper in the same manner as the actual upper end printing. That is, the inter-nozzle pitch k of the head that performs upper end printing is 3. Further, the carry amount F of the carry process between pass 1 and pass 2 in the virtual printing 1 is 1 · D. The first nozzle of the virtual head is # 1 and the last nozzle is # 5. Here, the printer driver does not consider the existence of non-ejection nozzles. Further, the position Ls of the first nozzle (nozzle # 1) in the first pass (pass 1) of virtual printing 1 is the same as the position in the transport direction of the first raster line. The position Lf of the first nozzle (nozzle # 1) in the last pass (pass 2) of virtual printing 1 is the same as the position in the transport direction of the second raster line.

  In virtual printing 2, the head is virtually moved relative to the paper in the same manner as in actual interlaced printing. Unlike the virtual printing 1 described above, the carry amount F is 5 · D. Further, the position Ls of the first nozzle (nozzle # 1) in the first pass (pass 3) of the virtual printing 2 is the same as the position in the transport direction of the third raster line. Further, the position Lf of the first nozzle (nozzle # 1) in the last pass (pass 6) of the virtual printing 2 is the same as the position in the transport direction of the 18th raster line.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart for creating the scheduling table of this embodiment. The printer driver executes the following processing using the hardware resources of the computer according to the program stored in the memory. 14A to 14E are explanatory diagrams of the scheduling table of the present embodiment. This scheduling table is stored in a memory on the computer side. The printer driver executes scheduling table creation processing using the above-described virtual printing parameters.

  First, the printer driver initializes a virtual printing number P (S101). As a result, the printer driver reads the parameters set as the conditions for virtual printing 1 from the memory.

  Next, the printer driver sets the position of the start nozzle based on the read parameters (S102). In the present embodiment, first, the position of the nozzle # 1 is set to “1” (specifically, the position of the first raster line in the transport direction).

  Next, the printer driver initializes the nozzle number i and sets i = 1 (S103).

  Next, the printer driver calculates the position L of the nozzle #i (S104). The position of the nozzle #i is calculated from the nozzle pitch k, the carry amount F, the nozzle number i, the start position Ls, and the like. Initially, the position of the nozzle # 1 is set to “1” similarly to the start position Ls.

  Next, the printer driver determines whether or not the position “1” is already registered in the scheduling table (S105). Initially, nothing is registered in the scheduling table, so this determination is “NO”.

  Next, the printer driver associates position “1” with nozzle # 1 and registers them in the scheduling table (S106).

  The printer driver determines whether the nozzle #i is the last nozzle (S107). The final nozzle information is set in the above-described virtual printing parameters. Initially, since nozzle # 1 is not the final nozzle, this determination is “NO”.

  The printer driver increments the nozzle number i in order to perform processing related to the next nozzle (S108). Here, the nozzle number is incremented from “1” to “2”.

  Then, the printer driver repeats the processes of S104 to S107, and creates a scheduling table in which the position L and the nozzle number are associated with each other for the nozzles # 2 to # 5.

  FIG. 14A is an explanatory diagram of a scheduling table created by the printer driver so far. In the scheduling table at this time, each nozzle and the position of each nozzle in the virtual pass 1 are associated with each other.

  The processes of S104 to S107 are repeated until the final nozzle (nozzle # 5) is reached, and when “YES” is determined in S107, the printer driver determines whether or not the leading nozzle (# 1) has reached the end position Lf. To do. Initially, since the position of the nozzle # 1 is “1” similarly to the start position Ls, this determination is “NO”.

  Next, the printer driver sets the position of the head nozzle to a position obtained by adding the carry amount F from the current position. As a result, the position of the head virtually moves by the carry amount F with respect to the paper. Initially, by this process, the position of the head nozzle is moved from position “1” to position “2”. Thereby, the creation of the scheduling table for the virtual path 1 is completed, and the creation of the scheduling table for the virtual path 2 is started.

  Then, the printer driver initializes the nozzle number i (S103), repeats the processes of S104 to S107, and creates a scheduling table in which the positions L and the nozzle numbers are associated with each other for the nozzles # 1 to # 5. .

  FIG. 14B is an explanatory diagram of a scheduling table created by the printer driver so far. In the scheduling table at this time, each nozzle and the position of each nozzle in the virtual pass 1 and pass 2 are associated with each other.

  After the creation of the scheduling table for the virtual pass 2 is finished, the printer driver determines whether or not the first nozzle (# 1) has reached the end position Lf. Here, since the nozzle # 1 which is the head nozzle has reached the end position “2”, this determination is “YES”.

  The printer driver increments the virtual printing number P in order to perform processing related to the next virtual printing (S112). Here, the virtual print number is incremented from “1” to “2”. Then, the printer driver reads the parameters set as the conditions for the virtual printing 2 from the memory, and registers the relationship between the nozzle position and the nozzle number in the scheduling table, as in the virtual printing 1 described above. 14C is an explanatory diagram of a scheduling table when the positions L and the nozzle numbers are registered in association with the nozzles # 1 to # 5 in the first pass of the virtual printing 2 (in other words, FIG. , P is an explanatory diagram of a scheduling table when the process of S109 is first performed at P = 2).

  When the head position is virtually moved once by the carry amount F in the virtual printing 2, the position of the nozzle # 1 becomes “8” (S104).

  However, information in which the position “8” is associated with the nozzle number “3” is already stored in the scheduling table. Therefore, in S105, the printer driver determines “YES”. Then, the printer driver overwrites and registers nozzle number “3” corresponding to position “8” in the scheduling table with nozzle number “1”. That is, by this overwriting registration, the information (see FIG. 14B) that associates the position “8” and the nozzle number “3” registered in the process related to the virtual printing 1 is deleted from the scheduling table. Instead, information that associates the position “8” with the nozzle number “1” is registered in the scheduling table.

  Similarly, in the scheduling table, information in which the position “11” and the nozzle number “4” are associated with each other in the process related to the virtual printing 1 is already stored. This information is overwritten with information in which the position “11” is associated with the nozzle number “2” in the process related to the virtual printing 2. The scheduling table already stores information that associates the position “14” with the nozzle number “5” in the process related to the virtual printing 1. This information is overwritten with information in which the position “14” is associated with the nozzle number “3” in the process related to the virtual printing 2.

  Note that the position “17” of the nozzle # 4 at this time is not yet registered in the scheduling table. Similarly, the position “20” of the nozzle # 5 is not yet registered in the scheduling table. For this reason, it is determined as “NO” in S105, and information associating these positions with the nozzles is additionally registered in the scheduling table.

  FIG. 14D is an explanatory diagram of a scheduling table when the positions L and the nozzle numbers are registered in association with each other for the nozzles # 1 to # 5 in the second pass of the virtual printing 2. In the figure, information in a frame indicated by a bold line is information registered by overwriting.

  Next, the printer driver sets the position of the top nozzle to the position obtained by adding the carry amount F from the current position, and performs processing related to the third pass of virtual printing 2. At this time, the position of the nozzle # 1 is “13”. In the scheduling table, information that associates the position “13” with the nozzle number “5” is already recorded. Therefore, the printer driver overwrites and registers nozzle number “5” corresponding to position “13” in the scheduling table with nozzle number “1”.

  FIG. 14E is an explanatory diagram of a scheduling table when the position L and the nozzle number are registered in association with each other for the nozzles # 1 to # 5 in the third pass of the virtual printing 2. In the figure, information in a frame indicated by a bold line is information registered by overwriting.

  The printer driver repeats the above processing until the processing is completed for all virtual heads. In this embodiment, since the position of the nozzle # 1 has reached the end position “18 (= Lf)” after the processing related to the fourth pass of virtual printing 2 (S104 to S107), the determination in S109 is made. “YES”. In the present embodiment, after the processing for the fourth pass of virtual printing 2 is completed, the processing for all virtual printing is completed, so that the determination in S111 is “YES” and the printer driver performs scheduling. The table creation process ends.

<How to use scheduling table>
FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of how to use the scheduling table of this embodiment. The scheduling table stores information that associates the position of the raster line with the nozzle number that forms the raster line.
First, the printer driver calculates the position of the head nozzle for each piece of information in the scheduling table based on the position of the raster line and the nozzle number. When the raster line position is X and the nozzle number is Y, the position of the head nozzle is X− (Y−1) × k. For example, when the raster line position is “7” and the nozzle number is “3”, the head nozzle is “1 (= 7− (3-1) × 3)”.
Next, the printer driver extracts information with the same position of the first nozzle from the information in the scheduling table. For example, four pieces of information in the scheduling table are extracted as information where the position of the head nozzle is “1”.

  Note that the reason why the information that the position of the head nozzle is “1” is only four in the scheduling table instead of five is that the nozzle corresponding to the position “13” in the scheduling table is shown in FIG. 14E. This is because the number “5” is overwritten with the nozzle number “1”. Similarly, there are only two pieces of information in the scheduling table where the position of the top nozzle is “2” because three pieces of information are overwritten as shown in FIG. 14D.

  Then, based on the extracted information, the printer driver performs a rasterization process so as to assign image data of a raster line corresponding to each nozzle. For example, in pass 1, the image data corresponding to the first raster line is assigned to the nozzle # 1, the image data corresponding to the fourth raster line is assigned to the nozzle # 2, and 7 is assigned to the nozzle # 3. Image data corresponding to the tenth raster line is assigned, and image data corresponding to the tenth raster line is assigned to nozzle # 4.

  However, there are only four pieces of information in which the position of the first nozzle is “1” in the scheduling table, and there is no information on the position of the raster line corresponding to nozzle # 5 in pass 1 in the scheduling table. In such a case, the printer driver assigns NULL data as image data to the nozzle # 5.

  When the printer driver transmits the print data for pass 1 generated in this way to the printer, the printer ejects ink from nozzle # 1 to nozzle # 4 and ejects ink from nozzle # 5 in pass 1. First, four raster lines are formed on the paper surface. That is, in the present embodiment, in pass 1, the printer driver assigns NULL data to the nozzle # 5, so that the nozzle # 5 becomes a non-ejection nozzle.

  Similarly, if the printer driver extracts information in which the position of the first nozzle is “2” and performs rasterization processing based on the extracted information, the printer performs the process from nozzle # 1 and nozzle # 2 in pass 2. Ejects ink, does not eject ink from nozzle # 3 to nozzle # 5, and forms two lines on the paper. That is, in this embodiment, in pass 2, the printer driver assigns NULL data to the nozzles # 3 to # 5, so that the nozzles # 3 to # 5 become non-ejection nozzles.

  When printing on a plurality of sheets, the scheduling table is created as described above before printing on the first sheet. Then, after printing on the first paper based on the scheduling table, the next paper is printed based on the scheduling table. In this way, it is not necessary to create a scheduling table when the second and subsequent sheets are printed, so that the calculation load can be reduced. Since the size of the next paper is considered to be the same as that of the first paper, the same scheduling table can be used.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when information on the same position is already registered when creating the scheduling table, another nozzle number is overwritten and registered therein. In this embodiment, since the data is overwritten in this way, the same raster line is not formed twice if the print data is generated according to the scheduling table.

  In the present embodiment, the printer driver extracts information from the scheduling table to determine the discharge nozzle and the non-discharge nozzle. For this reason, compared with the case of a reference example, the calculation load for determining a non-ejection nozzle becomes small.

  In this embodiment, when creating the scheduling table, the virtual printing 1 process corresponding to the upper end printing is performed, and then the virtual printing 2 process corresponding to the normal printing is performed. For this reason, when information on the same position (nozzle position) is already registered in the scheduling table, information for normal printing is preferentially registered in the scheduling table by overwriting registration. This increases the number of raster lines formed by normal printing, improving the quality of the printed image.

=== Other Embodiments ===
The above-described embodiment is mainly described for a printer. Among them, a printing apparatus, a recording apparatus, a liquid ejection apparatus, a printing method, a recording method, a liquid ejection method, a printing system, a recording system, and a computer system are included. Needless to say, the disclosure includes a program, a storage medium storing the program, a display screen, a screen display method, a printed material manufacturing method, and the like.

  Moreover, although the printer etc. as one embodiment were demonstrated, said embodiment is for making an understanding of this invention easy, and is not for limiting and interpreting this invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and it is needless to say that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. In particular, the embodiments described below are also included in the present invention.

<About bottom edge printing>
In the above-described embodiment, top-end printing and normal printing are performed. However, it is not limited to these printings. While performing upper end printing on the upper end side of the paper, lower end printing may be performed on the lower end side of the paper.
FIG. 16A is an explanatory diagram of print processing according to another embodiment.
If the printing process is terminated by normal interlace printing, raster lines on the lower end side of the paper are not continuously formed as shown in FIG. Therefore, in this embodiment, after performing normal interlaced printing, bottom edge printing is performed.
However, when performing lower end printing, there are nozzles that should not eject ink as in upper end printing. For this reason, the printer driver needs to determine a non-ejection nozzle.

FIG. 16B is an explanatory diagram of parameters for setting the virtual printing conditions of this embodiment.
In the virtual printing 1, the head is virtually moved with respect to the paper in the same manner as the actual upper end printing, similarly to the virtual printing 1 of the above-described embodiment. In the virtual printing 2, the head is virtually moved with respect to the paper in the same manner as the actual lower end printing. In the virtual printing 3, the head is virtually moved with respect to the paper in the same manner as the actual interlaced printing, like the virtual printing 2 of the above-described embodiment.
In the present embodiment, the printer driver performs the process of virtual printing 2 corresponding to the lower end printing, and then performs the process of virtual printing 3 corresponding to normal interlaced printing to create a scheduling table (see FIG. 13). As a result, information for normal printing is preferentially registered in the scheduling table, so that more raster lines are formed by normal printing and the quality of the printed image is improved.

<Regarding normal printing (overlap printing)>
In the above-described embodiment, the interlaced printing is the normal printing. However, other printing methods may be normal printing.
FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of overlap printing. In the interlace printing described above, one raster line is formed by one nozzle. On the other hand, in overlap printing, one raster line is formed by two or more nozzles.

  In overlap printing, each time the paper is transported at a constant transport amount F in the transport direction, each nozzle intermittently forms dots every few dots. Then, in another pass, dots are formed so as to complement intermittent dots already formed by other nozzles, thereby completing one raster line with a plurality of nozzles. When one raster line is completed in M passes in this way, it is defined as the overlap number M. Since one raster line is formed by two nozzles, the overlap number M = 2. In the case of the above-described interlace printing, the number of overlaps may be considered as M = 1.

  In overlap printing, in order to perform recording with a constant carry amount, (1) N / M is an integer (N is the number of nozzles that can eject ink, M is the number of overlaps), (2) N / M is in a prime relationship with k (k is an integer representing nozzle pitch (k · D)), and (3) the transport amount F is set to (N / M) · D. It becomes.

In the figure, the nozzle group has six nozzles arranged at a nozzle pitch of 2 · D along the transport direction. Therefore, all nozzles are used in order to satisfy “N / M and k are relatively prime”, which is a condition for performing overlap printing. Further, since six nozzles are used, the paper is transported with a transport amount of 3 · D. As a result, for example, using a nozzle group with a nozzle pitch of 180 dpi (2 · D), dots are formed on the paper at a dot interval of 360 dpi (= D).
Further, in one pass, each nozzle intermittently forms dots every other dot in the scanning direction. In the figure, the raster line in which two dots are drawn in the scanning direction has already been completed. For example, the seventh raster line has already been completed. A raster line in which one dot is drawn is a raster line in which dots are intermittently formed every other dot. For example, in the first raster line, dots are intermittently formed every other dot. For this reason, a raster line continuous in the transport direction is formed from the ninth raster line.

  In the figure, the ninth raster line is formed by nozzle # 5 of pass 1 and nozzle # 1 of pass 3, and the tenth raster line is formed by nozzle # 4 of pass 2 and nozzle # 1 of pass 4. The eleventh raster line is formed by nozzle # 6 of pass 1 and nozzle # 3 of pass 3, and the twelfth raster line is formed by nozzle # 5 of pass 2 and nozzle # 2 of pass 4 to form a continuous raster. It shows how lines are formed.

  In the figure, since each nozzle forms dots intermittently every other dot, dots are formed in odd-numbered pixels or even-numbered pixels for each pass. The first pass forms dots on odd pixels, the second pass forms dots on odd pixels, the third pass forms dots on even pixels, and the fourth pass forms dots on even pixels (5-8 passes are this repetition). When the first two passes are completed, dots are formed in odd-numbered pixels, dots are not formed in even-numbered pixels, and dots are formed intermittently every other dot. Also. In the latter two passes, dots are formed so as to complement the gaps between the dots formed by the first two passes.

  FIG. 18A is an explanatory diagram of parameters for setting virtual printing conditions corresponding to overlap printing. Unlike the above-described embodiment, a new parameter “scanning direction position” is added. This parameter indicates that the dot formation position changes from odd pixel → odd pixel → even pixel → even pixel for each pass.

FIG. 18B is an explanatory diagram of a scheduling table for performing overlap printing. As in the previous embodiment, the scheduling table not only associates the position of the raster line in the carrying direction with the nozzles that form the raster line, but also differs from the previous embodiment in that it further includes dot positions. The formation position is also associated.
In the above-described embodiment, when the scheduling table is created, the printer driver overwrites the nozzle number when the position of the raster line in the transport direction is the same. In this embodiment, the raster line is overwritten. The nozzle number is overwritten when not only the position in the transport direction but also the dot formation position matches. For this reason, for example, even if the position “α” in the transport direction of the raster line has already been registered in the scheduling table, if the dot formation position is different, the printer driver does not perform overwrite registration and separate information Is registered in the scheduling table.
As described above, even when overlap printing is performed instead of the above-described interlace printing, it is possible to reduce the calculation load for determining the non-ejection nozzles as in the above-described embodiment.

<Regarding normal printing (partial overlap printing)>
FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of partial overlap printing. In the above-described overlap printing, all raster lines are formed by two nozzles. On the other hand, in this partial overlap printing, only the raster line formed by the nozzles at the end is formed by a plurality of nozzles.

  According to the partial overlap printing, a raster line formed by a plurality of nozzles can suppress deterioration in image quality due to variations in ink ejection, as in the overlap printing. In particular, since the nozzles at the end have a larger variation in ink ejection than the nozzles at the center, if the raster line formed by the nozzles at the end is formed by a plurality of nozzles, the image quality can be reduced. Is obtained. On the other hand, in the partial overlap printing, the central nozzle forms a raster line independently without intermittently forming dots, so that the printing speed is improved as compared with the overlap printing.

  In the partial overlap printing of the present embodiment, the nozzle # 1, which is an end nozzle, forms dots in even pixels (intermittently forms dots every other dot) during the dot formation process. The nozzles # 2 to # 4, which are the nozzles in the center, form dots continuously during the dot formation process to complete the raster line. Nozzle # 5, which is the nozzle at the end, forms dots in odd pixels (intermittently forms dots every other dot) so as to complement the intermittent dots formed by nozzle # 1, and raster lines To complete.

  FIG. 20A is an explanatory diagram of virtual printing corresponding to partial overlap printing. FIG. 20B is an explanatory diagram of parameters for setting conditions for virtual printing corresponding to partial overlap printing.

  In virtual printing 1, the head is virtually moved with respect to the paper in the same way as in actual partial overlap printing. However, in virtual printing 1, nozzles # 1 to # 4 form dots at even pixels. In the virtual printing 2, the head is virtually moved with respect to the paper in the same manner as in the actual partial overlap printing. However, in virtual printing 2, nozzle # 2 to nozzle # 5 form dots at odd pixels.

  When creating the scheduling table, the printer driver, like the overlap printing scheduling table, positions the raster lines in the carrying direction, nozzles that form the raster lines, and dot formation positions (even pixels or odd pixels). Are stored in the memory.

  FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of processing during partial overlap printing. The printer driver calculates the position of the head nozzle and extracts information with the same position of the head nozzle from the scheduling table, as in the above-described embodiment. Then, based on the extracted information, the printer driver performs a rasterization process so as to assign image data of a raster line corresponding to each nozzle.

For example, in pass 1, the printer driver extracts eight pieces of information from the scheduling table. Then, the printer driver performs rasterization processing so as to assign image data corresponding to even pixels of the first raster line to the nozzle # 1. Further, the printer driver assigns image data corresponding to the fourth raster line, the seventh raster line, and the tenth raster line to the nozzle # 2, the nozzle # 3, and the nozzle # 4, respectively. Rasterize processing is performed. Further, the printer driver performs rasterization processing so that image data corresponding to the even pixels of the 13th raster line is assigned to the nozzle # 5.
As a result, during the dot formation process, dots are formed on the even pixels of the first raster line by the ink droplets ejected from the nozzle # 1, and intermittent dots are formed on the paper every other dot. Further, the fourth, seventh and tenth raster lines are formed on the paper by the ink droplets ejected from the nozzle # 2 to the nozzle # 4. Further, the ink droplets ejected from the nozzle # 5 form dots at odd-numbered pixels of the 13th raster line, and intermittent dots are formed on the paper every other dot.

  As described above, even when partial overlap printing is performed instead of the above-described interlaced printing, it is possible to reduce the calculation load for determining the non-ejection nozzles as in the above-described embodiment.

<Regarding normal printing (regular feed printing)>
In the above-described embodiment, the carry amount is constant during normal printing. However, it is not limited to this.
FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of irregular feed printing. In irregular feed printing, the carry amount in the carry process varies from 1 × D → 4 × D → 10 × D → 1 × D → 4 × D → 10 × D. Even if printing is performed with such a conveyance amount, it is possible to form a continuous raster line in the conveyance direction as shown in the figure.
FIG. 23A is an explanatory diagram of virtual printing corresponding to irregularly fed printing. FIG. 23B is an explanatory diagram of parameters for setting virtual printing conditions corresponding to irregularly fed printing.
In any virtual printing, the carry amount F is set to 15 × D. However, the start position and the end position are different for each virtual printing. Virtual printing 1 corresponds to pass 1 and pass 4 of irregular feed printing. Virtual printing 2 corresponds to pass 2 and pass 5 of irregular feed printing. Virtual printing 3 corresponds to pass 3 and pass 6 of irregular feed printing.

  Even when a scheduling table is created using such parameters and irregularly fed printing is performed instead of the above-described interlaced printing, the calculation load for determining the non-ejection nozzle is reduced as in the above-described embodiment. Is possible.

<Overwrite>
According to the above-described embodiment, the information stored in the memory first is erased, and the subsequent information is overwritten. However, it is not limited to this. For example, when the position coincides with the already registered position (YES in S105), the information previously stored in the memory may be left as it is and the subsequent information may be deleted.

  In addition, according to the above-described embodiment, information related to upper-end printing and lower-end printing is stored in the memory prior to information related to normal printing (normal interlaced printing / overlap printing / partial overlap printing, irregular feed printing, etc.). doing. This increases the number of raster lines formed by normal printing, improving the image quality. However, the order of storing in the memory is not limited to this. For example, information relating to normal printing may be stored in the memory prior to information relating to upper end printing or the like.

<About print control device>
In the above-described embodiment, a system including a computer in which a printer driver is installed and a printer in which a program is stored in a memory is described as an example of a print control apparatus. However, the print control apparatus is not limited to such a system.
For example, the printer may have a printer driver function. The printer, not the printer driver, may create a scheduling table or perform rasterization processing. In this case, the print control apparatus is a single printer.

<About the program>
In the above-described embodiment, the printer driver and the program stored in the printer memory implement scheduling table creation, rasterization processing, dot formation processing, and conveyance processing using computer and printer hardware resources. Yes. However, the program need not be divided into two locations (computer and printer).
For example, if the printer driver is stored in the memory of the printer, the printer can realize the functions of the above-described embodiments by one program.

<About ink>
Since the above-described embodiment is an embodiment of a printer, dye ink or pigment ink is ejected from the nozzle. However, the liquid ejected from the nozzle is not limited to such ink. For example, liquids (including water) including metal materials, organic materials (especially polymer materials), magnetic materials, conductive materials, wiring materials, film-forming materials, electronic inks, processing liquids, gene solutions, etc. are discharged from nozzles May be. If such a liquid is directly discharged toward the object, material saving, process saving, and cost reduction can be achieved.

<About nozzle>
In the above-described embodiment, ink is ejected using a piezoelectric element. However, the method for discharging the liquid is not limited to this. For example, other methods such as a method of generating bubbles in the nozzle by heat may be used.

It is explanatory drawing of the whole structure of a printing system. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of processing performed by a printer driver. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a user interface of a printer driver. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an overall configuration of a printer. 1 is a schematic diagram of an overall configuration of a printer. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the overall configuration of a printer. It is a flowchart of the process at the time of printing. It is explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement | sequence of a nozzle. It is explanatory drawing of interlaced printing. It is explanatory drawing of upper end printing. It is explanatory drawing of the determination method of the non-ejection nozzle of a reference example. FIG. 12A is an explanatory diagram of virtual printing. FIG. 12B is an explanatory diagram of parameters for setting conditions for virtual printing. It is a flowchart of preparation of the scheduling table of this embodiment. FIG. 14A is an explanatory diagram of a scheduling table up to the first pass of virtual printing 1. FIG. 14B is an explanatory diagram of a scheduling table up to the second pass of virtual printing 1. FIG. 14C is an explanatory diagram of a scheduling table when the processing of S109 is first performed at P = 2. FIG. 14D is an explanatory diagram of a scheduling table up to the second pass of virtual printing 2. FIG. 14E is an explanatory diagram of a scheduling table up to the third pass of virtual printing 2. It is explanatory drawing of how to use the scheduling table of this embodiment. FIG. 16A is an explanatory diagram of print processing according to another embodiment. FIG. 16B is an explanatory diagram of parameters for setting the virtual printing conditions of this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of overlap printing. FIG. 18A is an explanatory diagram of parameters for setting virtual printing conditions corresponding to overlap printing. FIG. 18B is an explanatory diagram of a scheduling table for performing overlap printing. It is explanatory drawing of partial overlap printing. FIG. 20A is an explanatory diagram of virtual printing corresponding to partial overlap printing. FIG. 20B is an explanatory diagram of parameters for setting conditions for virtual printing corresponding to partial overlap printing. It is explanatory drawing of the process at the time of partial overlap printing. It is explanatory drawing of irregular feed printing. FIG. 23A is an explanatory diagram of virtual printing corresponding to irregularly fed printing. FIG. 23B is an explanatory diagram of parameters for setting virtual printing conditions corresponding to irregularly fed printing.

Explanation of symbols

1 printer,
20 transport unit, 21 paper feed roller, 22 transport motor (PF motor),
23 transport roller, 24 platen, 25 discharge roller,
30 Carriage unit, 31 Carriage,
32 Carriage motor (CR motor),
40 head units, 41 heads,
50 detector groups, 51 linear encoder, 52 rotary encoder,
53 Paper detection sensor, 54 Optical sensor,
60 controller, 61 interface unit, 62 CPU,
63 memory, 64 unit control circuit 100 printing system 110 computer,
112 video drivers, 114 application programs,
116 printer driver 120 display device;
130 input device, 130A keyboard, 130B mouse,
140 recording / reproducing apparatus, 140A flexible disk drive apparatus, 140B CD-ROM drive apparatus,

Claims (11)

A dot forming process for ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles moving in the movement direction to form a dot row along the movement direction on the medium, and a conveyance process for conveying the medium in the conveyance direction with respect to the nozzles Repeat alternately,
A printing control apparatus that forms a plurality of dot rows on the medium in the transport direction,
Information that associates the position in the transport direction of the dot row formed in the dot formation process with the nozzle that forms the dot row is stored in a memory for each dot formation process,
When the information is stored in the memory for each dot forming process, when the position of the information in a certain dot forming process matches the position of the information in another dot forming process, the one information is Delete,
During the dot formation process,
Extracting the information about the dot formation process from the memory;
The printing control apparatus, wherein the nozzle indicated by the extracted information forms the dot row at the position indicated by the information. The print control apparatus according to claim 1,
When storing the information in the memory for each dot formation process, when the position of the information in one dot formation process matches the position of the information in another dot formation process,
A print control apparatus that deletes the information previously stored in the memory. The print control apparatus according to claim 2,
When forming the dot rows by different printing methods at the center and end of the medium,
The printing control apparatus, wherein information related to the printing method at the end portion is stored in the memory prior to the information related to the printing method at the central portion. The print control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
There is a nozzle that does not eject the ink during the dot formation process. The print control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
When forming dots at specific positions in the movement direction during the dot formation process,
A print control apparatus, wherein the position in the moving direction is stored in the memory in association with the information. The print control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
When printing on a plurality of the media,
Before printing on the first medium, the information is stored in the memory for each dot formation process,
A printing control apparatus that prints the next medium based on the information. The print control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The print control apparatus determines which dot formation process the information relates to based on the nozzle and the position indicated by the information. A dot forming process for ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles moving in the movement direction to form a dot row along the movement direction on the medium, and a conveyance process for conveying the medium in the conveyance direction with respect to the nozzles Repeat alternately,
A printing control apparatus that forms a plurality of dot rows on the medium in the transport direction,
Information that associates the position in the transport direction of the dot row formed in the dot formation process with the nozzle that forms the dot row is stored in a memory for each dot formation process,
When the information is stored in the memory for each dot forming process, when the position of the information in a certain dot forming process matches the position of the information in another dot forming process, the one information is Delete,
During the dot formation process,
Extracting the information about the dot formation process from the memory;
The nozzle indicated by the extracted information forms the dot row at the position indicated by the information,
When the information is stored in the memory for each dot forming process, when the position of the information in one dot forming process matches the position of the information in another dot forming process, the information is stored in the memory first. Delete the information that has been
In the case where the dot rows are formed by different printing methods at the central portion and the edge portion of the medium, the information regarding the printing method at the edge portion is stored in the memory before the information regarding the printing method at the central portion. Remember,
During the dot formation process, there are nozzles that do not eject the ink,
When forming a dot at a specific position in the movement direction during the dot formation process, the position in the movement direction is stored in the memory in association with the information;
When printing on a plurality of the media, before printing on the first medium, the information is stored in the memory for each dot forming process, and the next medium is printed based on the information. ,
The print control apparatus determines which dot formation process the information relates to based on the nozzle and the position indicated by the information. A dot forming process for ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles moving in the movement direction to form a dot row along the movement direction on the medium, and a conveyance process for conveying the medium in the conveyance direction with respect to the nozzles Repeat alternately,
A printing apparatus that forms a plurality of dot rows on the medium in the transport direction,
Information that associates the position in the transport direction of the dot row formed in the dot formation process with the nozzle that forms the dot row is stored in a memory for each dot formation process,
When the information is stored in the memory for each dot forming process, when the position of the information in a certain dot forming process matches the position of the information in another dot forming process, the one information is Delete,
During the dot formation process,
Extracting the information about the dot formation process from the memory;
The printing apparatus, wherein the nozzle indicated by the extracted information forms the dot row at the position indicated by the information. A dot forming process for ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles moving in the moving direction to form a dot row along the moving direction on the medium, and a conveying process for conveying the medium in the conveying direction with respect to the nozzles Repeat alternately,
A printing method for forming a plurality of dot rows on the medium in the transport direction,
Information that associates the position in the transport direction of the dot row formed in the dot formation process with the nozzle that forms the dot row is stored in a memory for each dot formation process,
When the information is stored in the memory for each dot forming process, when the position of the information in one dot forming process matches the position of the information in another dot forming process, one of the information is Delete,
During the dot formation process,
Extracting the information about the dot formation process from the memory;
The printing method, wherein the nozzle indicated by the extracted information forms the dot row at the position indicated by the information. A dot forming process for ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles moving in the movement direction to form a dot row along the movement direction on the medium, and a conveyance process for conveying the medium in the conveyance direction with respect to the nozzles Repeat alternately,
In a printing apparatus that forms a plurality of dot rows on the medium in the transport direction,
A function of storing, in the memory for each dot formation process, information associating the position in the transport direction of the dot line formed in the dot formation process with the nozzle forming the dot line;
When the information is stored in the memory for each dot forming process, when the position of the information in a certain dot forming process matches the position of the information in another dot forming process, the one information is The ability to delete,
During the dot formation process,
Extracting the information about the dot formation process from the memory;
A program for realizing the function of forming the dot row at the position indicated by the information by the nozzle indicated by the extracted information.

Images