JP2023061228A - Device and method for recording - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve such the problem that stretch/contraction of a recording medium due to conveyance error and water content of ink may cause a recording device including a plurality of recording heads to deteriorate image quality due to displacement of ink impact positions.SOLUTION: When recording an image with a specific property such as a character or line drawing, a recording device regulates a recording head for distributing image data of the recording heads to suppress deterioration in image quality due to displacement of ink impact positions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and recording method for recording an image on a recording medium.

2. Description of the Related Art A printing apparatus is known that prints an image on a printing medium using printing means for ejecting ink. In particular, in the field of office and commercial printing where high-speed printing is required, a full-line type inkjet recording apparatus equipped with a so-called full-line head, in which recording elements are arranged in a width wider than the width of the recording medium, is used. there is In a general full-line type inkjet printing apparatus, a plurality of printing heads are arranged in the conveying direction of the printing medium. Therefore, the distance between the printheads is increased compared to a serial type inkjet printer. As a result, the ink impact position shifts due to expansion and contraction of the recording medium due to conveyance errors and water contained in the ink, and the like increases, and the image quality of characters and line drawings may be degraded.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200001 discloses a technique of adjusting a printing position by driving a printing head with a driving cycle corresponding to the expansion/contraction characteristics of a printing medium prepared in advance and correcting ejection timing. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 discloses a prior art that prints a pattern for detecting ink landing deviation between images and determines the length of the detection pattern formation area in the transport direction based on the operating environment (temperature, cumulative driving time). ing.

Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 discloses that when printing an image with attributes such as characters and thin lines, among a plurality of ejection port arrays, an ejection port array that matches the resolution of print data is selectively used, and the edges of the image are printed. Prior art has been disclosed to improve the sharpness of parts.

JP 2004-268361 A JP 2008-175966 A JP 2018-171814 A

As described above, factors that cause deviations in ink landing positions include expansion and contraction of the recording medium due to conveyance errors and moisture in the ink. For example, when printing an image that includes both a character image and an image on one page, the amount of ink applied varies greatly for each area on the printing medium. If there is a difference in expansion and contraction depending on the area on the print medium, the deviation of the ink landing position between the print heads will increase, and it will be difficult to match the ink ejection timing for all areas. In particular, the sharpness of multicolor characters and thin lines in which two or more colors of ink are superimposed, and the adjacent portions between colors deteriorates.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to suppress deterioration in image quality of images such as fine-line images and character images in which sharpness is emphasized in a recording apparatus having a plurality of recording means. do.

The present invention provides a first recording medium having a conveying unit that conveys a recording medium in a first direction and a plurality of recording elements that eject a first ink along a second direction that intersects with the first direction. and a second recording element array in which a plurality of recording elements for ejecting a second ink having a color different from that of the first ink is arranged along the second direction. a third recording element array in which a plurality of recording elements for ejecting the first ink are arranged along the second direction; and a second recording element array along the second direction. and a fourth recording element array in which a plurality of recording elements for ejecting ink are arranged, and is arranged at a position at least partially overlapping with the first recording means when viewed in the second direction. and control means for controlling ink ejection operations using the first recording means and the second recording means on the basis of image data and information relating to image attributes contained in the image data. and, when the information indicates a first attribute, the control means sets a first ratio of using the first recording element array for recording the image to the recording of the image. The third ratio of using the third recording element array is set higher than the third ratio of using the third recording element array, and the second ratio of using the second recording element array for recording the image is set to the fourth ratio for recording the image. is set higher than the fourth ratio using the recording element array of .

According to the present invention, in a recording apparatus having a plurality of recording units, it is possible to suppress deterioration in image quality of images such as thin line images and character images in which sharpness is emphasized.

2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a printhead in the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a recording control system in the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the process of image processing in the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the process of image processing in the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing index patterns in the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a mask pattern in the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a mask pattern in the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of image data processed in the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining edge determination processing in the second embodiment;

(First embodiment)
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus (hereinafter also referred to as a recording apparatus) according to this embodiment. First, the recording medium P is supplied from the supply unit 101 . The supplied recording medium P is conveyed at a predetermined speed in the +X direction (conveyance direction) while being nipped by the pair of conveying rollers 103 and 104 , and discharged from the discharge section 102 . Between the pair of transport rollers 103 on the upstream side and the pair of transport rollers 104 on the downstream side in the transport direction of the print medium P, print heads 105, 106, 107, and 108 overlap each other when viewed in the transport direction. arranged side by side. Each of the recording heads 105 to 108 can apply four colors of ink, cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), to the recording medium P. FIG. That is, the printing apparatus of this embodiment has four print heads capable of ejecting four colors of ink. Ink droplets are ejected from each print head in the Z direction and land on the print medium. Further, ink is supplied to each recording head from a tank (not shown) through a tube.

In this embodiment, the recording medium P may be continuous paper held in the supply unit 101 in a roll shape, or may be cut paper that has been cut into a standard size in advance. In the case of continuous paper, after the recording operation by the recording heads 105 to 108 is completed, the paper is cut to a predetermined length by the cutter 109, sorted by size in the discharge unit 102, and discharged to the discharge tray.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a print head in this embodiment. Only the recording head 105 out of the recording heads 105 to 108 is shown here. Other printheads 106 to 108 also have the same configuration as the printhead 105 shown in this figure.

A plurality of ejection ports 30 are provided in the print head. Inside the print head 105, an electrothermal conversion element is provided as a printing element at a position facing each ejection port 30. By driving the electrothermal conversion element, thermal energy is generated, and ink is ejected. can be performed. As recording elements, not only electrothermal conversion elements, but also piezoelectric elements, electrostatic elements, and MEMS elements may be used.

A plurality of ejection openings 30 for ejecting ink are arranged in the print head 105 along the Y direction in the figure. Eight recording element arrays 0 to 7 are arranged side by side in the X direction in the figure. Hereinafter, the recording element array will also be referred to as an ejection port array.

The X direction in this figure corresponds to the X direction in FIG. 1 and is the direction in which the recording medium P is conveyed. For the sake of simplicity, this figure shows that 15 ejection openings 30 are arranged in each of the ejection opening arrays 0 to 7. The ejection openings 30 are arranged in a range where the entire area can be printed.

In the print head 105 of this embodiment, the ejection ports 30 are arranged at a density of 600 per inch in the Y direction in each ejection port array. As shown in the figure, ejection port row 0 includes even-numbered ejection ports seg0, seg2, seg4, . th outlets are arranged. The even-numbered ejection ports are arranged with a 1/2 pitch shift in the Y direction with respect to the odd-numbered ejection ports. That is, the density at which the ejection openings are arranged in each ejection opening array is 600 dpi, and ink droplets can be applied onto the recording medium at a resolution of 1200 dpi.

Also, black (K) is applied to ejection port rows 0 and 1, cyan (C) is applied to ejection port rows 2 and 3, magenta (M) is applied to ejection port rows 4 and 5, and yellow is applied to ejection port rows 6 and 7. (Y) ink is supplied. By using such a print head 105, an image can be printed on the print medium P with a print resolution of 1200 dpi for each color.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the recording control system in this embodiment. A recording control system 13 in the recording apparatus is communicably connected to a host device (DFE) HC2, and the host device HC2 is communicably connected to the host device HC1.

The host device HC1 generates or stores document data that is the basis of a recorded image. The manuscript data here is generated, for example, in the form of an electronic file such as a document file or an image file. This document data is transmitted to the host device HC2, and the host device HC2 converts the received document data into a data format that can be used by the recording control system 13, for example, RGB data representing an image in RGB. The converted data is transmitted from the host device HC2 to the recording control system 13 in the recording device.

The recording control system 13 is roughly divided into a main controller 13A functioning as control means and an engine controller 13B. The main controller 13A includes a processing unit 131, a storage unit 132, an operation unit 133, an image processing unit 134, a communication I/F (interface) 135, a buffer 136 and a communication I/F 137.

The processing unit 131 is a processor such as a CPU, executes programs stored in the storage unit 132, and controls the entire main controller 13A. The storage unit 132 is a storage device such as a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk, or an SSD, stores programs executed by the processing unit 131 and data, and provides the processing unit 131 with a work area. The operation unit 133 is, for example, an input device such as a touch panel, keyboard, or mouse, and receives user instructions.

The image processor 134 is, for example, an electronic circuit having an image processor. The buffer 136 is, for example, RAM, hard disk or SSD. A communication I/F 135 communicates with the host device HC2, and a communication I/F 137 communicates with the engine controller 13B. Broken arrows in FIG. 3 illustrate the flow of processing of data input to the recording control system 13 . Data received via communication I/F 135 from host device HC 2 is stored in buffer 136 . The image processing unit 134 reads data from the buffer 136 , performs predetermined image processing on the read data to generate print data used by the print engine, and stores the data in the buffer 136 again.

The image-processed recording data stored in the buffer 136 is transmitted from the communication I/F 137 to the engine controller 13B. After that, the engine controller 13B drives the recording elements provided in each of the recording heads 105 to 108 based on the recording data to perform the recording operation.

Note that although the embodiment having one processing unit 131, one storage unit 132, and one image processing unit 134 has been described here, the embodiment has a plurality of processing units 131, storage units 132, and image processing units 134. can be

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a control program for executing data processing in this embodiment. When image processing is started, the image processing unit 134 acquires RGB data read from the buffer 136 in step S1. In this embodiment, the RGB data is 8-bit data for each RGB value, and the data resolution is 600 dpi×600 dpi.

On the other hand, when image processing is started, attribute information is acquired in step S2 in parallel with step S1. Attribute information is information indicating attributes of each pixel of an image to be recorded. The attribute information of this embodiment indicates whether it is either a character attribute or a thin line attribute, or an attribute that is neither of them (image image attribute, etc.). For example, when the attribute information is 1-bit data, the attribute information of pixels in which a character image or a thin line image is recorded is "1", and the attribute information of a pixel in which an image that is neither a character nor a thin line (for example, an image image) is recorded is becomes "0".

It should be noted that not only the case where the attribute information is acquired separately from the RGB data, but also a form in which the RGB data and the attribute information are combined in advance may be used. This makes it possible to increase the number of classifications by color and area, in addition to the two classifications of characters and fine lines and neither characters and fine lines. For example, it is possible to select the optimum processing for each character.

In step S3, the acquired RGB data and attribute information are combined to generate combined data. Here, in the present embodiment, a mode in which synthesized data is generated before color conversion processing in step S4 has been described, but a mode in which synthesized data is generated at any timing before distribution processing in step S7 may be used.

In step S4, a color conversion process is executed to convert the RGB data into CMYK data corresponding to the color of the ink used for printing. This color conversion process generates CMYK data composed of 12-bit CMYK values.

In step S5, the CMYK data is quantized to generate quantized data composed of 2-bit CMYK values. As this quantization process, a dither method, an error diffusion method, or the like can be executed. In this embodiment, the quantization process generates quantized data having a data resolution of 600 dpi×600 dpi.

In step S6, index development processing is performed on the composite data to generate image data composed of 1-bit CMYK information and attribute information. Here, 2-bit quantized data for each CMYK color with a resolution of 600 dpi×600 dpi in the synthesized data is developed into 1-bit data for each CMYK color with a resolution of 1200 dpi×1200 dpi using an index pattern.

In step S7, distribution processing is performed to distribute the image data to one of the print heads 105 to 108, and print data used for printing is generated. The generated print data is 1-bit data with a resolution of 1200 dpi×1200 dpi for each color of CMYK, and is data indicating application (ejection) or non-application (non-ejection) of ink. Distribution processing will be described later in detail.

After that, in steps S8-1 to S8-4, the print data is transmitted to the engine controller 13B, and the printing operation using each print head is performed based on the transmitted print data.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the distribution process is performed after the index process in step S6. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the distribution process may be performed after the color conversion process in step S4. . For example, 12-bit data corresponding to each of the printheads 105 to 108 is generated from the 12-bit CMYK data generated in the color conversion process in step S4. At this time, the 12-bit data is distributed to each printhead at a ratio based on the attributes of the image. Then, quantization processing in steps S5-1 to S5-4 and index expansion processing in steps S6-1 to S6-4 are performed respectively.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing index patterns used in this embodiment. FIG. 6A shows CMYK values (gradation values) indicated by 2-bit information corresponding to quantized data. FIG. 6B shows image data after index development, corresponding to the printing resolution (1200 dpi×1200 dpi) of the printing head, and showing the presence or absence of ink ejection to each pixel. As can be seen from this figure, when synthetic data of gradation value of level 0 is input to a 1-pixel area with a resolution of 600 dpi×600 dpi, ink is applied to each of 4-pixel areas with a resolution of 1200 dpi×1200 dpi. A value of "0" is defined to indicate no ejection. Similarly, when quantized data of a gradation value of level 1 is input, a value of "1" indicating ejection of ink is determined only for the lower right pixel of the four pixels. Similarly, when the quantized data of the gradation value of level 2 is input, the value of "1" is determined for the upper left pixel in addition to the lower right pixel among the four pixels. Then, when the quantized data of the gradation value of level 3, which is the maximum level, is input, the value "1" is determined for all four pixels.

In this way, the index development process in step S6 is performed, and image data composed of 1-bit information indicating whether ink is ejected or not ejected at a resolution of 1200 dpi×1200 dpi and attribute information is generated.

(Distribution method according to image attributes)
Here, the image data distribution processing according to the attribute of the image in the image data, which is the characteristic configuration of the present embodiment, will be described. When an attribute assigned to a certain image indicates a character attribute or a fine line attribute, the printheads to which image data for printing this image are distributed are restricted among the plurality of printheads. Here, print data corresponding to each print head is generated using the first mask pattern. Of the four generated print data, at least one print data does not include data indicating ink ejection. As a result, the image data is distributed only to some of the printheads, limiting the printheads used for printing. An image showing a character attribute or a thin line attribute is hereinafter referred to as an image of the first attribute.

On the other hand, for an image, such as an image image, to which an attribute other than the character attribute and the thin line attribute is assigned, the image data is distributed so that the image is printed using all the print heads. Here, the second mask pattern is used to generate print data corresponding to each print head. Image data is distributed so that data indicating ink ejection is included in all of the four generated print data. Hereinafter, an image with an attribute that is neither a character attribute nor a thin line attribute will be referred to as an image with a second attribute.

In this embodiment, the first attribute image is printed using only one of the print heads 105-108. On the other hand, an image of the second attribute is printed using all the printheads by evenly distributing the image data to the printheads 105-108. Note that the method of limiting the printheads used when printing the image of the first attribute is not limited to the example of setting the distribution ratio to the other three printheads to 0%. Since high sharpness can be obtained by increasing the distribution ratio to a specific printhead more than the distribution ratio to other printheads, it is not necessary to prohibit ejection of ink from other printheads. For example, by setting the distribution ratio to 3 of the 4 printheads to 10% or less, it is possible to suppress the influence of misregistration as described above, resulting in high-sharp character images and images. Fine line images can be recorded.

(Details of distribution processing)
In this embodiment, the distribution ratio of the image data to each print head in step S7 is determined according to the attribute of the image in the image data. More specifically, when the attribute information of the image indicates the first attribute, the ratio of distributing the image data to any one of the recording heads 105 to 108 is changed in order to improve the sharpness of the image. The ratio distributed to the other printheads is made substantially 0%. Further, when the attribute information of the image indicates the second attribute, the image data is evenly distributed to the recording heads 105 to 108 in order to suppress expansion and contraction of the recording medium.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a first mask pattern group used when processing image data of a first attribute such as a character image or a fine line image. FIG. 8 is an image of a second attribute such as an image. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second mask pattern group used when processing data; In both FIGS. 7 and 8, (a) to (d) correspond to the recording heads 105 to 108, respectively. In the mask patterns shown in each figure, black pixels indicate pixels that permit ink ejection when ink ejection is determined in the image data. Similarly, white pixels indicate pixels for which ink ejection is not permitted even if ink ejection is specified in the image data.

As described above, any one of the print heads 105 to 108 is used to print the first attribute (fine line image, etc.). Here, only the print head 105 is used for printing. In step S2, the RGB data and the attribute information are obtained in a combined form, so that the image classified into characters and thin lines is further subdivided by color and area, and the distribution ratio of the image data to each recording head is determined individually. It is also possible to decide

On the other hand, all of the print heads 105 to 108 are used when printing the second attribute (image image, etc.). Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8A to 8D, the second mask pattern corresponding to each of the print heads 105 to 108 defines ink ejection allowance for 25% of each pixel. there is Therefore, by using the second mask pattern group shown in FIG. 8, the image data can be distributed to all of the printheads 105-108.

In this manner, by switching the mask pattern used in the distribution process according to the attribute information of the image data, printing can be performed using a printing method suitable for each attribute. 7 and 8 show a mask pattern consisting of a 4-pixel×4-pixel region as an example, but the size and arrangement of pixels may be different as long as the mask pattern is as described above. Specifically, the first mask pattern group should satisfy the condition that any one of the print heads 105 to 108 is permitted to eject ink. As for the second mask pattern group, it suffices that the mask patterns corresponding to the print heads 105 to 108 satisfy the condition that the ejection of 25% ink is permitted for each pixel.

(Example of generated recording data)
The print data generated by this embodiment when image data is input will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of image data to be processed. Note that the image A in FIG. 9 indicates an image image, and the image B indicates a character image. Further, in image B, characters drawn in thin characters (eg, "AIUEO") indicate black characters, and characters drawn in bold characters (eg, "KAKIKUKEKO") indicate blue characters. .

FIG. 9 shows image data in which image A and image B are included in one page. Image A is an image image, that is, an image of the second attribute, and image B is a character image, that is, an image of the first attribute. Both the image A and the image B are images whose gradation value is level 3 in the 600 dpi×600 dpi area included in each image.

Please refer to FIG. 4 again. Attribute information is acquired in step S2. Each pixel of image A is "0" indicating the second attribute, and each pixel of image B is "1" indicating the first attribute. In step S3, the acquired attribute information is combined with the RGB data acquired in step S1. At this time, the first attribute may be further classified based on color information and position information to generate attribute information of 2 bits or more. For example, attribute information of "1" may be generated for black characters, and attribute information of "2" may be generated for blue characters, based on color information. Also, based on the position information, the attribute information "1" may be generated for the character portion of "AIUEO" and the attribute information "2" may be generated for the character portion of "Kakikukeko". Furthermore, based on both color information and position information, attribute information may be generated and classified on a character-by-character basis.

When the attribute information is composed of 1 bit, the image data of image A is distributed evenly to the recording heads 105 to 108 and the image data of image B is distributed only to the recording head 105 through steps S4 to S7. be done. Further, when the image data of the image B is based on color information and position information and the attribute information consists of 2 bits or more, it is possible to use different recording heads for distributing the data for each attribute, so that adjacent characters can be printed differently. Image data may be distributed so as to be recorded by the head.

In this way, by limiting the number of recording heads for recording fine-line images and character images in which sharpness deterioration due to ink impact position shifts on the paper surface is conspicuous, it is possible to reproduce images with high sharpness.

In particular, blue characters and thin lines are expressed using cyan ink and magenta ink. When a multicolor image in which a plurality of types of ink are superimposed and printed using a plurality of printheads, misregistration occurs between the ink colors, and the image quality may deteriorate. On the other hand, by limiting the number of print heads used for printing an image as in the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress misregistration between colors while obtaining high sharpness. In the above example, blue characters were recorded using only one recording head. That is, the ratio of distributing image data to the cyan recording element arrays provided in the recording head 105 and the ratio of distributing image data to the magenta recording element arrays are substantially 100%. Then, the ratio of distributing the image data to the cyan recording element arrays provided in the recording heads 106 to 108 and the ratio of distributing the image data to the magenta recording element arrays are substantially set to 0%. As a result, blue characters are printed with a single printhead, so sharpness can be obtained higher than when image data is distributed to a plurality of printheads.

On the other hand, when printing an image in which a large amount of ink is applied per unit area, such as an image, expansion and contraction and cockling of the printing medium on which the image is printed can be suppressed by distributing the ink to a plurality of printing heads. can be suppressed.

Further, the configuration may be such that the image of the first attribute is restricted to two adjacent print heads among the print heads 105 to 108 according to the conveying speed of the print medium. In addition, expansion and contraction of the recording medium can be suppressed by applying the ink in multiple times rather than applying a large amount of ink in a short period of time. Therefore, in the case of an image, such as an image, in which a large amount of ink is applied per unit area, the expansion and contraction and cockling of the recording medium can be suppressed by evenly distributing the image data to the plurality of recording heads. can be done. A drying section may be provided downstream of the recording head in the transport direction.

Also, the print heads 105 to 108 may at least partially overlap when viewed in the transport direction, and may not completely match. Any configuration that allows recording in the same area on the recording medium may be used.

(Second embodiment)
In the first embodiment described above, an attribute is assigned to each image included in image data. At this time, the first attribute was assigned to the fine line image and the character image, and the second attribute was assigned to the image that was neither the fine line image nor the character image. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the edge portion of the image is given the first attribute, and the non-edge portion is given the second attribute. A description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment described above will be omitted.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the edge determination process performed in the attribute information acquisition process executed after the index expansion process in step S6 in this embodiment. After the index expansion process of step S6 shown in FIG. 4, attribute information acquisition process is executed before the distribution process of step S7, and the attribute information is combined with the image data. When the edge determination process is started, in step S11, it is determined whether ink ejection has been determined for a target pixel of 1200 dpi×1200 dpi, and ink ejection has also been determined for eight pixels surrounding the target pixel. is determined. In other words, it is determined whether or not ink ejection is determined for all 3×3 pixels including the target pixel. Here, if it is determined that ink ejection is determined for all of the 3×3 pixels, the process proceeds to step S12, and it is determined that the target pixel is a non-edge portion. Then, as in the case of the image of the second attribute in the first embodiment, "0" is assigned as the attribute information. On the other hand, if it is determined that ink ejection is not determined for any of the 3×3 pixels, the process proceeds to step S13, and the target pixel is determined to be an edge portion. Then, as in the case of the first image in the first embodiment, "1" is assigned as attribute information.

Also, for character images and fine line images, similar processing is performed according to the font size and line width, and attribute information "1" is assigned to the edge portion and "0" is assigned to the inner attribute information. good.

Subsequent processing is the same as in the first embodiment, and by limiting the number of recording heads for recording fine-line images and character images in which sharpness deterioration due to misalignment of the ink landing position on the paper surface is conspicuous, sharpness is improved. It is possible to reproduce high quality images.

20 discharge port 101 supply port 102 discharge port 105-108 recording head

Claims (9)

a conveying means for conveying the recording medium in a first direction;
A first recording element array in which a plurality of recording elements for ejecting a first ink are arranged along a second direction crossing the first direction, and a first ink along the second direction a first recording means comprising: a second recording element array in which a plurality of recording elements for ejecting a second ink having a color different from the color of the first recording element;
A third recording element array in which a plurality of recording elements for ejecting the first ink along the second direction are arranged, and a plurality of recording elements for ejecting the second ink along the second direction. a fourth recording element array in which are arranged, the second recording means arranged at a position at least partially overlapping with the first recording means when viewed in the second direction;
control means for controlling ink ejection operations using the first recording means and the second recording means;
with
When printing a first image having a first attribute, the control means sets a first ratio of using the first printing element array for printing the first image to A second ratio of using the third printing element array for printing is set higher than a third ratio of using the third printing element array for printing, and a second ratio of using the second printing element array for printing the first image is set to the above-described third ratio. A recording apparatus characterized in that the fourth ratio of using the fourth recording element array for recording one image is higher than the fourth ratio. 2. A recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first attribute is an attribute of any one of thin line image, character image, and edge portion. 3. The recording according to claim 1, wherein said control means sets at least one of said third ratio and said fourth ratio to substantially 0 when recording said first image. Device. The control means controls first recording data corresponding to the ink ejection operation from the first recording element array, second recording data corresponding to the ink ejection operation from the second recording element array, characterized by generating third print data corresponding to an ink ejection operation from a third print element array and fourth print data corresponding to an ink ejection operation from the fourth print element array; 4. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The control means uses a mask pattern to generate the first print data and the third print data from data corresponding to the first ink contained in the image data, and generates the first print data and the third print data contained in the image data. 5. A printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said second print data and said fourth print data are generated from data corresponding to a second ink using a mask pattern. When recording a second image having a second attribute different from the first attribute, the control means makes the first ratio and the third ratio substantially the same, and 6. A recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said second ratio and said fourth ratio are substantially the same. 7. A recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said second attribute is an image attribute. 8. A recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said control means controls said ejection operation based on image data and information relating to image attributes. a conveying means for conveying the recording medium in a first direction;
A first recording element array in which a plurality of recording elements for ejecting a first ink are arranged along a second direction crossing the first direction, and a first ink along the second direction a first recording means comprising: a second recording element array in which a plurality of recording elements for ejecting a second ink having a color different from the color of the first recording element;
A third recording element array in which a plurality of recording elements for ejecting the first ink along the second direction are arranged, and a plurality of recording elements for ejecting the second ink along the second direction. a fourth recording element array in which
and a recording method for a recording device in which at least a part of the first recording means and the second recording means overlap when viewed in the second direction,
controlling ink ejection operations using the first recording means and the second recording means based on image data and information about image attributes contained in the image data;
When the information indicates a first attribute, a first ratio of using the first recording element array for recording the image is set to a third ratio of using the third recording element array for recording the image. and a second ratio of using the second recording element array for recording the image is set to a fourth ratio of using the fourth recording element array for recording the image. A recording method characterized in that the height is higher than

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