JP5017867B2 - Printing control apparatus, printing apparatus, printing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

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

Examples of so-called inkjet printing apparatuses that perform printing by discharging ink from a head include printers, plotters, and facsimiles. Some types of printing apparatuses perform printing by switching print modes (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This printing apparatus determines the number of main scanning passes for each of a plurality of individual regions in the entire region, and performs recording with the determined number of passes.
JP 2001-293551 A

  In this printing apparatus, by increasing the number of passes, variations in the ink ejection state for each nozzle are suppressed. For this reason, the image quality of the printed image can be improved. However, further improvement is required to achieve both high-speed printing and high image quality.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to achieve both high speed printing and high image quality at a high level.

The main invention for achieving the object is as follows:
A first print mode for printing using both dark ink and light ink;
A second printing mode for printing using only the dark ink;
Have
The maximum amount of dark ink used in the first print mode is equal to the maximum amount of dark ink used in the second print mode, and the dark ink used in the first print mode is the same. The ink amount of the minimum dot and the ink amount of the minimum dot of the dark ink used in the second printing mode are equal,
The types of dark ink dots of different sizes used in the first printing mode are:
The printing control apparatus is characterized in that the size used in the second printing mode is smaller than that of the different types of dark ink dots.

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

  At least the following will be made clear by the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

  That is, (a) a dot gradation value determined from a plurality of types of dot gradation values based on the size of the dots to be formed for dark ink and light ink used for stepwise dark and light printing of a certain color. And (b) a first printing mode in which printing is performed with a predetermined number of types of dot gradation values using both the dark ink and the light ink, and the dark ink and the light ink. It is apparent that a printing apparatus having a controller that performs control in a predetermined printing mode can be realized from the second printing mode in which printing is performed with a larger number of dot gradation values than the predetermined number. To be.

  According to such a printing apparatus, in the second printing mode, the type of ink used is less than that in the first printing mode, so the control load is reduced and the processing speed can be increased. Further, in the second printing mode, the number of types of dot gradation values is determined to be larger than that in the first printing mode, so that it is possible to suppress deterioration in image quality due to the small number of types of ink used. That is, in the first printing mode, printing can be performed with higher image quality, and in the second printing mode, printing can be performed at high speed while suppressing deterioration in image quality. By selecting these print modes, it is possible to achieve both high speed printing and high image quality at a high level.

The printing apparatus includes a remaining ink amount detection unit that detects the remaining ink amount of the dark ink and the remaining ink amount of the light ink, and the controller includes the first printing mode as a printing mode for performing control. If the remaining ink amount of the other of the dark ink and the light ink is less than the determination reference amount, the print mode for performing the control is changed from the first print mode to the first print mode. A configuration for switching to the second print mode is preferable.
According to such a printing apparatus, even if either dark ink or light ink decreases in the first printing mode, printing can be continued in the second printing mode. Therefore, ink can be used effectively.

In such a printing apparatus, the head has a plurality of types of dot gradation values based on the size of dots to be formed with other dark ink and other light ink used for stepwise dark and light printing of other colors. The controller discharges in accordance with a dot gradation value determined from among the two, and the controller performs the second printing mode regardless of the remaining amount of the other dark ink and the other light ink. A configuration is preferable in which printing is performed using one of the other dark ink and the other light ink with a larger number of types of dot gradation values than the predetermined number.
According to such a printing apparatus, when there are a plurality of colors for performing stepwise light and shade printing using dark ink and light ink, when the second print mode is designated for a certain color, The second print mode is designated for the color. As a result, it is possible to prevent inconveniences caused by differences in print modes, for example, inconveniences in which the color balance is lost between a certain color and another color.

In this printing apparatus, the dark ink and the light ink are one of a cyan dark ink and a light ink and a magenta dark ink and a light ink, and the other dark ink and the other light ink are A configuration that is the other of cyan dark ink and light ink and the magenta dark ink and light ink is preferable.
According to such a printing apparatus, when the second print mode is set for one of cyan dark ink and light ink and magenta dark ink and light ink, the second print mode is also set for the other. This can prevent a problem that the balance between cyan and magenta is lost in the second print mode.

In this printing apparatus, the remaining ink amount detection unit includes a counter that counts the number of ink ejections for each ink type, and the remaining ink amount is calculated based on the count value of the counter. A configuration in which detection is performed every time is preferable.
According to such a printing apparatus, the remaining ink amount can be detected for each type of ink with a simple configuration.

In the printing apparatus, it is preferable that the remaining ink amount detection unit stores the count value of the counter in a nonvolatile memory included in an ink storage container that stores ink.
According to such a printing apparatus, even if an ink storage container that has been removed with a remaining ink amount larger than the determination reference amount is mounted again, the remaining ink amount can be accurately recognized.

In such a printing apparatus, it is preferable that the determination reference amount is an amount determined based on an amount of remaining ink that interferes with printing.
According to such a printing apparatus, it is possible to switch the printing mode before it interferes with printing.

In this printing apparatus, the head has a plurality of nozzle rows each including a plurality of nozzles from which ink is ejected and arranged in the movement direction of the head, and the movement among the plurality of nozzle rows A configuration in which ink that is not used in the second printing mode is ejected from a nozzle row located at the end in the direction is preferable.
According to such a printing apparatus, the moving range of the head in the second printing mode can be made narrower than the printing range of the head in the first printing mode. For this reason, the printing speed can be further increased.

In this printing apparatus, the controller uses the dark ink in the second printing mode, and calculates a difference in ink amount between a certain dot gradation value and the next dot gradation value in the first printing mode. It is preferable that the difference is smaller than the difference in ink amount between the certain dot gradation value and the next dot gradation value.
According to such a printing apparatus, the degree of change in density in the dark ink in the second print mode can be made finer than the degree of change in density in the dark ink in the first print mode. As a result, it is possible to suppress deterioration in image quality caused by not using light ink.

In this printing apparatus, the controller uses the light ink in the second print mode, and determines the amount of the light ink ejected at the maximum dot gradation value as the maximum dot gradation in the first print mode. A configuration in which the amount of the light ink ejected by value is larger than that is preferable.
According to such a printing apparatus, the maximum print density with the light ink in the second print mode can be made higher than the maximum print density with the light ink in the first print mode. As a result, it is possible to suppress deterioration in image quality caused by not using dark ink.

In this printing apparatus, the printing apparatus includes a driving signal generation unit that generates a plurality of driving signals in a certain period, the head includes an element that performs an operation of ejecting ink, and the controller includes a plurality of the driving signals. It is preferable that the signal application unit select a necessary part from a signal and apply the selected necessary part to the element, the signal applying part selecting the necessary part according to the determined printing mode.
According to such a printing apparatus, even if the number of types of dot gradation values increases in the second printing mode, the generation period of the drive signal can be prevented from becoming excessively long, and the printing speed can be increased. Can be planned.

This printing apparatus has a mounting portion to which an ink storage container for storing ink is mounted, and the ink storage container has a case in which a plurality of ink storage chambers are provided. A configuration in which a plurality of types of ink including dark ink and light ink used for tone printing and inks other than these are stored in corresponding ink storage chambers is preferable.
According to such a printing apparatus, printing using one of the dark ink and the light ink can be performed in the second printing mode even when the other of the dark ink and the light ink is lost. For this reason, one ink storage container can be used over a long period of time.

The following printing apparatus can also be realized.
That is, (a) forming dark ink and light ink used for stepwise light and dark printing of a certain color and other dark ink and other light ink used for stepwise light and dark printing of another color. A head that discharges in accordance with a dot gradation value determined from a plurality of types of dot gradation values based on the size of a power dot, and has an element that performs an operation of discharging ink; (b) A drive signal generation unit that generates a plurality of drive signals in a certain period; (c) a mounting unit on which an ink storage container for storing ink is mounted; and (d) a remaining ink amount of the dark ink and the light ink. A residual ink amount detection unit for detecting a residual ink amount, comprising a counter that counts the number of ink ejections for each ink type, and based on the count value of the counter, the residual ink amount is determined based on the ink type. Detected every time A residual ink amount detection unit for storing the count value of the counter in a nonvolatile memory included in the ink storage container; and (e) a predetermined number of types of dots using both the dark ink and the light ink. From a first printing mode for printing with gradation values and a second printing mode for printing with more than the predetermined number of types of dot gradation values using one of the dark ink and the light ink, A controller that performs control in a predetermined printing mode, a signal applying unit that selects a necessary part from a plurality of the driving signals and applies the selected necessary part to the element, the predetermined printing mode A signal applying unit that selects the necessary portion according to the first printing mode, the first printing mode being determined as a printing mode for controlling, and the remaining ink for the other of the dark ink and the light ink Is switched from the first print mode to the second print mode when the amount of ink is less than the reference amount determined based on the amount of remaining ink that interferes with printing, In the two-print mode, regardless of the remaining amount of the other dark ink and the other light ink, one of the other dark ink and the other light ink is used, and the number is larger than the predetermined number. A controller that performs printing with different types of dot gradation values;
(F) The dark ink and the light ink are one of a cyan dark ink and a light ink and a magenta dark ink and a light ink, and (g) the other dark ink and the other light ink are the cyan ink. (H) the head has a nozzle array composed of a plurality of nozzles from which ink is ejected arranged in the moving direction of the head. Ink that is not used in the second printing mode is ejected from a nozzle row that has a plurality of rows and is located at an end in the moving direction among the plurality of nozzle rows, and (i) a plurality of the ink storage containers A plurality of types of ink including dark ink and light ink used for gradation printing of a certain color, and other inks, and corresponding ink storage chambers. (J) The controller uses the dark ink in the second printing mode, and calculates a difference in ink amount between a certain dot gradation value and the next dot gradation value in the first printing mode. Less than the difference in ink amount between the certain dot gradation value and the next dot gradation value, or using the light ink in the second printing mode and ejecting at the maximum dot gradation value. A printing apparatus can be realized in which the amount of the light ink is larger than the amount of the light ink ejected at the maximum dot gradation value in the first printing mode.
According to such a printing apparatus, since almost all the effects described above are exhibited, the object of the present invention is achieved most effectively.

It is also clarified that the following printing method can be realized.
That is, (a) a dot gradation value determined from a plurality of types of dot gradation values based on the size of the dots to be formed for dark ink and light ink used for stepwise dark and light printing of a certain color. (B) a first printing mode in which printing is performed with a predetermined number of types of dot gradation values using both the dark ink and the light ink, and the dark ink Using one of the light inks to determine any of the second print modes for printing with a greater number of types of dot gradation values than the predetermined number; (c) performing printing in the determined print mode; A printing method that performs

It is also revealed that the following program can be realized.
That is, (a) a dot gradation value determined from a plurality of types of dot gradation values based on the size of the dots to be formed for dark ink and light ink used for stepwise dark and light printing of a certain color. (B) a first printing mode in which printing is performed with a predetermined number of types of dot gradation values using both the dark ink and the light ink; and Determining one of the second print modes in which printing is performed with one of the dark ink and the light ink with a larger number of types of dot gradation values than the predetermined number; and (c) printing in the determined print mode. It is possible to realize a program that causes the printing apparatus to perform.

=== First Embodiment ===
<Configuration of Printing System 100>
First, the overall configuration of the printing system 100 will be described. Here, FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the printing system 100. The illustrated printing system 100 includes a printer 1 and a computer 110 and functions as a printing apparatus. Specifically, 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 prints an image on a medium such as paper, cloth, or film. In the following description, a sheet S (see FIG. 3A), which is a typical medium, will be described as an example. The computer 110 is communicably connected to the printer 1. In order to cause the printer 1 to print an image, the computer 110 outputs print data corresponding to the image to the printer 1. Computer programs such as application programs and printer drivers are installed in the computer 110. The display device 120 has a display. The display device 120 is for displaying a user interface of a computer program, for example. The input device 130 is a keyboard 131 or a mouse 132, for example. The recording / reproducing device 140 is, for example, a flexible disk drive device 141 or a compact disk drive device 142.

=== Computer 110 ===
<Configuration of Computer 110>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating configurations of the computer 110 and the printer 1. First, the configuration of the computer 110 will be briefly described. The computer 110 includes the recording / reproducing device 140 and the host-side controller 111 described above. The recording / reproducing apparatus 140 is communicably connected to the host-side controller 111, and is attached to the housing of the computer 110, for example. The host-side controller 111 performs various controls in the computer 110, and the display device 120 and the input device 130 described above are also connected to be communicable. The host-side controller 111 includes an interface unit 112, a CPU 113, and a memory 114. The interface unit 112 is interposed between the printer 1 and exchanges data. The CPU 113 is an arithmetic processing unit for performing overall control of the computer 110. The memory 114 is used to secure an area for storing a computer program used by the CPU 113, a work area, and the like, and includes a RAM, an EEPROM, a ROM, a magnetic disk device, and the like. As described above, computer programs stored in the memory 114 include application programs and printer drivers. These application programs and printer drivers are provided through, for example, a flexible disk FD and a compact disk CD. The CPU 113 performs various controls according to the computer program stored in the memory 114.

  In this printing system 100, the printer 1 can perform printing in a printing mode selected from a plurality of printing modes. In which printing mode printing is performed is determined by the host-side controller 111 executing the printer driver. For this reason, in this embodiment, the host-side controller 111 that executes the printer driver constitutes a controller that controls printing together with a printer-side controller 70 and a head controller HC described later. For the sake of convenience, in this specification, the operation of the host-side controller 111 executing the printer driver may be described as the operation of the printer driver.

  The print data is data in a format that can be interpreted by the printer 1, and includes various command data and dot formation data SI (see FIGS. 7A and 8). The command data is data for causing the printer 1 to execute a specific operation. The command data includes, for example, command data for instructing paper feed, command data for indicating the carry amount, and command data for instructing paper discharge. The dot formation data SI is data relating to dots of an image to be printed. Here, the dots are formed on the paper S so as to correspond to a square grid (hereinafter also referred to as a unit area) virtually defined. The dot formation data SI corresponds to a dot gradation value based on the size of the dot to be formed.

  In the present embodiment, the dot formation data SI (dot gradation value) is composed of 2-bit data or 3-bit data. For example, stepwise dark and light printing (also referred to as gradation printing) is performed using dark cyan ink and light cyan ink for cyan, and stepwise light and dark printing is also performed for magenta using dark magenta ink and light magenta ink. In the high image quality mode (corresponding to the first print mode) in which printing is performed, printing is performed with six types of inks: black ink, yellow ink, dark cyan ink, light cyan ink, dark magenta ink, and light magenta ink. In this case, the dot formation data SI is composed of 2-bit data. That is, the dot formation data SI includes data [00] corresponding to no dot (no ink ejection), data [01] corresponding to the formation of small dots, and data [10] corresponding to the formation of medium dots. The data [11] corresponding to the formation of large dots is determined. Therefore, in this high image quality mode, four types of dot formation data SI can be selected for one unit area for any ink. In the high-speed mode (corresponding to the second printing mode) in which only the dark cyan ink is used for cyan and only the dark magenta ink is used for magenta, and the gradation printing is performed stepwise, this corresponds to the second printing mode. Printing is performed with four types of ink, cyan ink and dark magenta ink. The dot formation data SI for black ink and yellow ink is composed of 2-bit data, and the dot formation data SI for dark cyan ink and dark magenta ink is composed of 3-bit data. In this high-speed mode, four types of dot formation data SI can be selected for one unit area for black ink and yellow ink, as in the high image quality mode. On the other hand, in dark cyan ink and dark magenta ink, the dot formation data SI includes data [000] corresponding to no dot, data [001] corresponding to formation of the first small dot, and second small dot. Data [100] corresponding to the formation of the first medium dot, data [010] corresponding to the formation of the first medium dot, data [101] corresponding to the formation of the second medium dot, and data [101] corresponding to the formation of the large dot. 011]. Therefore, for dark cyan ink and dark magenta ink, six types of dot formation data SI can be selected for one unit area.

  The printer driver (host-side controller 111) also functions as a remaining ink amount detection unit that detects the remaining ink amount of ink stored in the ink cartridge IC. In this embodiment, the printer driver counts the number of ink ejections for each ink type. For example, the printer driver uses a predetermined area of the memory 114 as a counter, and uses this counter to count the number of ink ejections for each ink type. Then, the printer driver detects the remaining ink amount from the initial ink storage amount and the consumed ink amount based on the count value. Thus, the remaining ink amount can be detected for each ink type with a simple configuration. In addition, the printer driver sets the print mode to the high speed mode on condition that the remaining ink amount of the light cyan ink or the light magenta ink is equal to or less than the determination reference amount when the high image quality mode is set as the print mode. Switch. This point will be described later.

  Further, the count value by the counter is stored in a cartridge side memory ICm (described later) of the ink cartridge IC. The printer driver can acquire the remaining ink amount by reading the count value from the cartridge-side memory ICm each time the power is turned on. Even if the ink cartridge IC is replaced, the remaining ink amount can be acquired for the replaced ink cartridge IC.

=== Printer 1 ===
<About the configuration of the printer 1>
Next, the configuration of the printer 1 will be described. Here, FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the printer 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3B is a side view illustrating the configuration of the printer 1 of the present embodiment. In the following description, FIG. 2 is also referred to. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 1 includes a paper transport mechanism 20, a carriage moving mechanism 30, a head unit 40, a drive signal generation unit 50, a detector group 60, and a printer-side controller 70. The drive signal generator 50 and the printer-side controller 70 are mounted on a common controller board CTR. The head unit 40 includes a head control unit HC and a head 41. In the printer 1, the control target unit, that is, the paper transport mechanism 20, the carriage moving mechanism 30, the head unit 40 (head controller HC, head 41), and the drive signal generator 50 are controlled by the printer-side controller 70. That is, the printer-side controller 70 controls the control target unit based on the print data received from the computer 110 and prints an image on the paper S. At this time, each detector of the detector group 60 detects the state of each part in the printer 1 and outputs the detection result to the printer-side controller 70. Upon receiving the detection results from each detector, the printer-side controller 70 controls the control target unit based on the detection results.

<Regarding the paper transport mechanism 20>
The paper transport mechanism 20 corresponds to a medium transport unit that transports a medium. The paper transport mechanism 20 feeds the paper S as a medium to a printable position, or transports the paper S by a predetermined transport amount in the transport direction. This transport direction is a direction that intersects the carriage movement direction described below. 3A and 3B, the paper transport mechanism 20 includes a paper feed roller 21, a transport motor 22, a transport roller 23, a platen 24, and a paper discharge roller 25. The paper feed roller 21 is a roller for transporting the paper S inserted into the paper insertion slot into the printer 1. The transport motor 22 is a drive source for transporting the paper S in the transport direction. The transport roller 23 is a roller for transporting the paper S sent by the paper feed roller 21 to a printable area. The platen 24 is a member for supporting the paper S from the back side. The paper discharge roller 25 is a roller for carrying the paper S that has been printed.

<About the carriage moving mechanism 30>
The carriage moving mechanism 30 is for moving the carriage CR to which the head unit 40 is attached in the carriage moving direction. The carriage movement direction includes a movement direction from one side to the other side and a movement direction from the other side to the one side. The head unit 40 has a head 41. For this reason, the carriage movement direction corresponds to the movement direction of the head 41 (hereinafter also referred to as the head movement direction). The carriage moving mechanism 30 corresponds to a head moving unit that moves the head 41 in the head moving direction. The carriage moving mechanism 30 includes a carriage motor 31, a guide shaft 32, a timing belt 33, a drive pulley 34, and an idler pulley 35. The carriage motor 31 corresponds to a drive source for moving the carriage CR. The operation of the carriage motor 31 is controlled by the printer-side controller 70. A drive pulley 34 is attached to the rotation shaft of the carriage motor 31. The drive pulley 34 is disposed on one end side in the carriage movement direction. An idler pulley 35 is disposed on the other end side in the carriage movement direction on the opposite side to the drive pulley 34. The timing belt 33 is an annular member whose end is fixed to the carriage CR, and is spanned between a drive pulley 34 and an idler pulley 35. The guide shaft 32 supports the carriage CR in a movable state. The guide shaft 32 is attached along the carriage movement direction. Therefore, when the carriage motor 31 operates, the carriage CR moves along the guide shaft 32 in the carriage movement direction. Along with this, the head 41 also moves in the head moving direction.

<About ink cartridge IC>
An ink cartridge IC for storing ink is mounted on the carriage CR. The ink cartridge IC corresponds to an ink storage container. The carriage CR corresponds to a mounting portion on which the ink cartridge IC is mounted.

  The ink cartridge IC is a member that stores a plurality of types of liquid ink to be ejected. This ink cartridge IC has a case provided with a plurality of ink storage chambers R (C) to R (LM). The corresponding ink is stored in each of the ink storage chambers R (C) to R (LM). That is, dark cyan ink is stored in the ink storage chamber R (C), and dark magenta ink is stored in the ink storage chamber R (M). Further, black ink is stored in the ink storage chamber R (K), and yellow ink is stored in the ink storage chamber R (Y). Similarly, light cyan ink is stored in the ink storage chamber R (LC), and light magenta ink is stored in the ink storage chamber R (LM).

  The dark cyan ink corresponds to dark ink used for cyan stepwise light / dark printing, and the light cyan ink corresponds to light ink used for cyan stepwise light / dark printing. Similarly, dark magenta ink corresponds to dark ink used for magenta stepwise light and dark printing, and light magenta ink corresponds to light ink used for magenta stepwise light and dark printing. Further, the density of the light cyan ink is adjusted so that the density thereof is 1 / n with respect to the density of the dark cyan ink. This density ratio is, for example, a comparison between an optical density obtained by printing solid cyan ink on a certain paper S and an optical density obtained by printing light cyan ink on the same paper S. It is obtained by doing. The same applies to magenta dark ink and light ink.

  Further, one of cyan and magenta corresponds to “a certain color” in which gradation printing is performed, and the other of cyan and magenta corresponds to “another color” in which gradation printing is performed. Therefore, the ink cartridge IC includes a plurality of dark inks and light inks used for gradation printing of a certain color, dark inks and light inks used for gradation printing of other colors, and other inks. A type of ink is stored in a corresponding ink storage chamber.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ink cartridge IC is provided with a cartridge-side memory ICm. The cartridge side memory ICm is constituted by a nonvolatile memory. The cartridge-side memory ICm stores ink type information indicating the type of stored ink. The cartridge-side memory ICm also stores other information, for example, consumption information related to ink consumption. The cartridge-side memory ICm is provided with a contact terminal (referred to as a memory-side contact terminal TM1 for convenience). The memory-side contact terminal TM1 is in contact with a contact terminal (referred to as a carriage-side contact terminal TM2 for convenience) provided on the carriage side when the ink cartridge IC is mounted on the carriage CR. The carriage side contact terminal TM2 is connected to the printer side controller 70 (CPU 72) via wiring. For this reason, when the ink cartridge IC is mounted, the printer-side controller 70 constituting a part of the drive signal generation unit can acquire ink type information and consumption amount information. Since the consumption amount information is stored in the cartridge-side memory ICm, even if the removed ink cartridge IC is reattached before the replacement time arrives (that is, with a remaining ink amount larger than the judgment reference amount). The remaining ink amount can be recognized with high accuracy by the printer driver.

<About the head unit 40>
The head unit 40 is for ejecting ink toward the paper S. The head unit 40 includes a head 41 and a head controller HC. Hereinafter, the head unit 40 will be described. Here, FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of the head 41. FIG. 4B is an enlarged sectional view showing the main part of the head 41. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of nozzle rows.

<About the head 41>
The head 41 includes a case 411, a flow path unit 412, a piezo element unit 413, and a relay substrate 414. The case 411 is a block-shaped member in which an accommodation chamber 411a for accommodating the piezo element unit 413 is formed. The piezo element unit 413 is attached to each nozzle row. As shown in FIG. 5, the head 41 has six nozzle rows (Nk to Nlm). Therefore, the case 411 is provided with six storage chambers 411a, and the six piezoelectric element units 413 are stored in the corresponding storage chambers 411a. FIG. 4A shows a part of the storage chamber 411a.

  The flow path unit 412 includes a flow path forming plate 412a, an elastic plate 412b bonded to one surface of the flow path forming plate 412a, and a nozzle plate 412c bonded to the other surface of the flow path forming plate 412a. . The flow path forming plate 412a is made of a silicon wafer, a metal plate, or the like. The flow path forming plate 412a is formed with a groove portion serving as a pressure chamber 412d, a through hole serving as a nozzle communication port 412e, a through port serving as a common ink chamber 412f, and a groove portion serving as an ink supply path 412g. The elastic plate 412b has a support frame 412h and an island portion 412j to which the tip of the piezo element PZT is joined. An elastic region is formed by the elastic film 412i around the island portion 412j.

  The piezo element unit 413 includes a piezo element group 413a, an adhesion substrate 413b, and an element wiring substrate 413c. The piezo element group 413a has a comb shape, and each comb-like portion corresponds to the piezo element PZT. The piezo element group 413a includes a number of piezo elements PZT corresponding to the nozzles Nz. The bonding substrate 413b is a rectangular plate, and the piezoelectric element group 413a is bonded to one surface and the other surface is bonded to the case 411. The element wiring board 413c is a member for electrically connecting the relay board 414 and each piezo element PZT. A head controller HC is mounted on the element wiring board 413c.

  The relay board 414 is a wiring board for electrically connecting the head controller HC and each piezo element PZT, the drive signal generator 50 and the printer controller 70. As described above, the element wiring substrate 413 c is connected to the relay substrate 414. In addition, the flexible cable FC shown in FIG. 2 is also electrically connected to the relay board 414. The flexible cable FC is for transmitting a drive signal COM from the drive signal generation unit 50 and a head control signal from the printer-side controller 70.

  The piezo element PZT is deformed by applying a potential difference between opposing electrodes. In this example, it expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction of the element. The amount of expansion / contraction is determined according to the potential of the piezo element PZT. The potential of the piezo element PZT is determined by the application portion (portion indicated by a solid line in FIGS. 14, 15A, 15B, etc.) in the drive signal COM. Accordingly, the piezo element PZT expands and contracts according to the potential applied by the application portion of the drive signal COM. When the piezo element PZT expands and contracts, the island portion 412j is pushed toward the pressure chamber 412d or pulled in the opposite direction. At this time, since the elastic film 412i around the island portion is deformed, ink can be efficiently discharged from the nozzle Nz. Such a piezo element PZT is an element that is charged and discharged by a drive signal, and corresponds to an element that performs an operation for ejecting ink. When the piezo element PZT is used for the head 41, the amount of ink ejected or the like depending on the waveform of the applied drive pulses (for example, the first drive pulse PS1 to the sixth drive pulse PS6; see FIG. 12) Various speeds can be controlled. Further, the ink can be prevented from thickening by causing the meniscus (the free surface of the ink exposed by the nozzles Nz) to vibrate without discharging the ink.

  The nozzle plate 412c described above is provided on the sheet facing surface of the head 41. The nozzle plate 412c is provided with a plurality of nozzle rows composed of a plurality of nozzles Nz corresponding to the type of ink. For example, n (for example, 180) nozzles Nz arranged in the conveyance direction of the paper S form one nozzle row, and the nozzle rows are arranged in the carriage movement direction (head movement direction). ing. As described above, since this printer 1 can eject six types of ink, six nozzle rows are also provided. In the example shown in FIG. 5, in order from the left side of the drawing, the dark cyan ink nozzle row Nc, the dark magenta ink nozzle row Nm, the black ink nozzle row Nk, the yellow ink nozzle row Ny, the light cyan ink nozzle row Nlc, and the light magenta. An ink nozzle row Nlm is provided in the head moving direction.

  Here, nozzle rows that eject ink that is also used in the high-speed mode (also referred to as a high-speed mode nozzle row for convenience) are arranged at positions adjacent to each other. In other words, a nozzle row for ejecting ink used only in the high image quality mode (for convenience, also referred to as a high image quality mode nozzle row) is not arranged between the nozzle rows for high speed mode. As described above, in the high speed mode, black ink, yellow ink, dark cyan ink, and dark magenta ink are used. For this reason, the high-speed mode nozzle rows that discharge these inks are arranged in order from the end in the head moving direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a dark cyan ink nozzle row Nc is arranged at the left end of the drawing, and a dark magenta ink nozzle row Nm is arranged on the right side thereof. Further, a black ink nozzle row Nk is arranged on the right side of the dark magenta ink nozzle row Nm, and a yellow ink nozzle row Ny is arranged on the right side thereof. On the other hand, the high-quality mode dedicated nozzle row is arranged next to the high-speed mode nozzle row group. In the example of FIG. 5, a light cyan ink nozzle row Nlc is arranged on the right side of the yellow ink nozzle row Ny, and a light magenta ink nozzle row Nlm is arranged on the right side thereof.

  The reason for this arrangement is to narrow the moving range of the head 41 in the high speed mode as much as possible. For example, in the example of FIG. 5, when the head 41 is moved to the left side, the head 41 may be moved until the yellow ink nozzle row Ny reaches the left end of the printing range. On the contrary, when the head 41 is moved to the right side, the head 41 may be moved until the dark cyan ink nozzle row Nc reaches the right end of the printing range. For this reason, compared to a configuration in which a certain high speed mode nozzle row is arranged at one end in the head moving direction and another high speed mode nozzle row is arranged at the other end in the head moving direction, the moving range is increased by two nozzle rows. Can be narrowed. From this point of view, the high-quality mode dedicated nozzle row may not be arranged between the adjacent high-speed mode nozzle rows. Therefore, the high-definition mode dedicated nozzle row may be provided at another position. For example, the light magenta ink nozzle row Nlm may be provided on the left side of the dark cyan ink nozzle row Nc.

<About the head controller HC>
Next, the head controller HC will be described. Here, FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a plurality of head controllers HC included in the head 41. In the following description, FIG. 4A is also referred to. The head 41 has a plurality of head controllers HC. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, each of the head controllers HC is mounted on the element wiring board 413c. That is, the head controller HC is provided for each piezo element unit 413. In the head 41, a piezo element unit 413 is provided for each nozzle row. For this reason, it can be said that the head controller HC is provided for each type of ink to be used. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the head 41 includes a head controller HC (C) for dark cyan ink, a head controller HC (M) for dark magenta ink, and a head for black ink. A control unit HC (K), a head control unit HC (Y) for yellow ink, a head control unit HC (LC) for light cyan ink, and a head control unit HC (LM) for light magenta ink. is doing.

  These head controllers HC (HC (C) to HC (LM)) generate drive signals COM (first drive signal COM_A and second drive signal COM_B, FIG. 12) based on dot formation data SI1 to SI6 for each ink. The necessary portion of the reference is applied to the piezo element PZT. Thereby, ink is ejected from the corresponding nozzle Nz. The head controller HC that performs such an operation corresponds to a signal applying unit that selects a necessary portion from the drive signal COM and applies the selected portion to the piezo element PZT, and constitutes a part of a controller that controls printing. The configuration of the head controller HC will be described in detail later.

<About the drive signal generator 50>
The drive signal generation unit 50 generates the drive signal COM. As shown in FIG. 12, the drive signal COM includes a first drive signal COM_A and a second drive signal COM_B. The first drive signal COM_A and the second drive signal COM_B are generated simultaneously over at least the dot formation period. Here, the dot formation period means a period in which the moving carriage CR faces the printing surface of the paper S, in other words, a period in which the ink ejected from the nozzles Nz can land on the paper S. The dot formation period corresponds to a “certain period” in which a plurality of types of drive signals are generated simultaneously. Further, the first drive signal COM_A and the second drive signal COM_B are repeatedly generated at every repetition period T. This repetition period T can be divided into four periods T1 to T3. Accordingly, the first drive signal COM_A is generated in the first period signal SS11 generated in the first period T1, the second period signal SS12 generated in the second period T2, and the third period T3. It can be said that it is composed of the third section signal SS13. The second drive signal COM_B is generated in the first period signal SS21 generated in the first period T1, in the second period signal SS22 generated in the second period T2, and in the third period T3. It can be said that it is composed of the three-section signal SS23. Then, the head controller HC (HC (C) to HC (LM)) selects each section signal SS11 to SS23 according to the content of the dot formation data SI (SI1 to SI6) and applies it to the piezo element PZT. . For this reason, each section signal SS11-SS23 is corresponded to the required part applied to the piezo element PZT. The first drive signal COM_A and the second drive signal COM_B will be described in detail later.

<Regarding the detector group 60>
The detector group 60 is for monitoring the status of the printer 1. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the detector group 60 includes a linear encoder 61, a rotary encoder 62, a paper detector 63, and a paper width detector 64. The linear encoder 61 is for detecting the position of the carriage CR in the carriage movement direction. The rotary encoder 62 is for detecting the rotation amount of the transport roller 23. The paper detector 63 is for detecting the paper S to be printed. The paper width detector 64 is for detecting the width of the paper S to be printed.

<About the printer-side controller 70>
The printer-side controller 70 controls each part of the printer 1 based on the print data sent from the host-side controller 111. For example, the printer-side controller 70 alternately performs an operation of transporting the paper S by a predetermined transport amount and an operation of intermittently ejecting ink while moving the carriage CR (head 41). Is printing an image. For this reason, the printer-side controller 70 controls the conveyance of the paper S by controlling the rotation of the conveyance motor 22. The printer-side controller 70 controls the movement of the carriage CR by controlling the rotation of the carriage motor 31. Further, the dot formation data SI is output to the head control unit HC to perform control for ejecting ink. These controls are performed based on the print mode determined by the printer driver (host-side controller 111). For example, when the high quality mode is determined by the printer driver, the printer-side controller 70 outputs a control signal so that six types of ink are ejected with four types of dot formation data SI (dot gradation values). . On the other hand, when the high-speed mode is determined by the printer driver, the printer-side controller 70 causes black ink and yellow ink to be ejected using four types of dot formation data SI, and six types are used for dark cyan ink and dark magenta ink. A control signal is output so that the ink is ejected with the dot formation data SI. Therefore, the printer-side controller 70 also constitutes a part of a controller that controls printing.

  The printer-side controller 70 that performs such an operation includes an interface unit 71, a CPU 72, a memory 73, and a control unit 74, for example, as shown in FIG. The interface unit 71 exchanges data with the computer 110 which is an external device. The CPU 72 is an arithmetic processing unit for performing overall control of the printer 1. The memory 73 is for securing an area for storing a program of the CPU 72, a work area, and the like, and is configured by a storage element such as a RAM, an EEPROM, or a ROM. Then, the CPU 72 controls each control target unit in accordance with the computer program stored in the memory 73. For example, the CPU 72 controls the paper transport mechanism 20 and the carriage movement mechanism 30 via the control unit 74. For example, control signals for the transport motor 22 and the carriage motor 31 are output. The CPU 72 corresponds to a head control signal (for example, a clock CLK, dot formation data SI, a latch signal LAT, a first change signal CH_A, and a second change signal CH_B for controlling the operation of the head 41. FIG. 8 is output to the head controller HC, and signal generation information for generating the drive signal COM is output to the drive signal generator 50.

=== General Operation of Printing System 100 ===
Here, a schematic operation of the printing system 100 will be described. In the printing system 100, as described above, the high-quality mode using six types of ink (corresponding to the first printing mode) and the high-speed mode using four types of ink (corresponding to the second printing mode) are selected. Thus, printing can be performed. In the high image quality mode, the printer 1 uses black ink, yellow ink, dark cyan ink, light cyan ink, dark magenta ink, and light magenta ink, and uses these inks as four types of dot formation data SI (predetermined number). This corresponds to the dot gradation value of the above type). In the high-speed mode, the printer 1 uses black ink, yellow ink, dark cyan ink, and dark magenta ink. The black ink and yellow ink are ejected with four types of dot formation data SI, and the dark cyan ink and dark ink are discharged. Magenta ink is ejected with six types of dot formation data SI (corresponding to more than a predetermined number of types of dot gradation values).

  By adopting such a configuration, the number of ink types used in the high-speed mode is smaller than that in the high-quality mode. Accordingly, the control load on the printer driver (host-side controller 111) and printer-side controller 70 is reduced. As a result, the processing speed can be increased. In the high-speed mode, for dark cyan ink and dark magenta ink, the number of types of dot gradation values is larger than the number of types of dot gradation values in the high image quality mode. With this configuration, it is possible to suppress deterioration in image quality due to the small number of types of ink used. That is, by increasing the number of types of dot tone values, the degree of change in light and shade due to dark cyan ink and dark magenta ink can be finely defined. Therefore, it is possible to perform printing with higher image quality in the high image quality mode, and it is possible to perform printing at high speed while suppressing deterioration in image quality in the high speed mode. By selecting these print modes, it is possible to achieve both high speed printing and high image quality at a high level.

  When the high image quality mode is set and the remaining ink amount of light cyan ink or light magenta ink is equal to or less than the determination reference value, the printer driver switches from the high image quality mode to the high speed mode. As a result, even when at least one of the light cyan ink and the light magenta ink is reduced and it is time for replacement, the dark cyan ink and the dark magenta ink are used, and printing can be continued. For this reason, the replacement time of the ink cartridge IC can be extended, and the ink can be used effectively.

=== Details of Head Control Unit HC ===
Hereinafter, a configuration for realizing such an operation will be described in detail. First, the head controller HC will be described in detail. Here, FIG. 7A is a diagram for explaining a head controller HC of a type in which the dot formation data SI is four types. FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating signal selection units SSC (LC) and SSC (LM) attached to the head control unit HC for light cyan ink and light magenta ink. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a head control unit HC that can switch between four types and six types of dot formation data SI. In the following description, FIG. 6 is also referred to. For convenience, the head control unit HC having four types of dot formation data SI is also referred to as a first type head control unit HC, and is a type of head control unit that can switch between four types and six types of dot formation data SI. The HC is also referred to as a second type head controller HC.

<About the first type head controller HC>
First, the first type head controller HC will be described. The first type head control unit HC is used for the head control unit HC that controls the ejection of ink with four types of dot formation data SI. The head 41 is used for a head controller HC that controls the discharge of black ink, yellow ink, light cyan ink, and light magenta ink. As shown in FIG. 7A, the first type head controller HC includes a first shift register 81A, a second shift register 81B, a first latch circuit 82A, a second latch circuit 82B, a control logic 83, It has a decoder 84, a first switch 85A, and a second switch 85B. Each part excluding the control logic 83, that is, each shift register 81A, 81B, each latch circuit 82A, 82B, decoder 84, first switch 85A, and second switch 85B is provided for each piezo element PZT, that is, for each nozzle. Provided for each Nz.

  In the first shift register 81A and the second shift register 81B, the dot formation data SI from the printer-side controller 70 is set. The upper bits of the dot formation data SI are set in the first shift register 81A, and the lower bits of the dot formation data SI are set in the second shift register 81B. Here, the dot formation data SI is transmitted for each ink type. As shown in FIG. 6, the dot formation data SI3 is input to the head control unit HC (K) for black ink, and the dot formation data SI4 is input to the head control unit HC (Y) for yellow ink. The dot formation data SI5 is input to the head control unit HC (LC) for light cyan ink, and the dot formation data SI6 is input to the head control unit HC (LM) for light magenta ink.

  The first latch circuit 82A and the second latch circuit 82B latch the dot formation data SI set in the first shift register 81A and the second shift register 81B. That is, the first latch circuit 82A latches the upper bits of the dot formation data SI set in the first shift register 81A, and the second latch circuit 82B uses the dot formation data SI set in the second shift register 81B. Latch the lower bits. Then, by being latched by the first latch circuit 82 </ b> A and the second latch circuit 82 </ b> B, the dot formation data SI is set for each nozzle Nz and input to the decoder 84.

  The control logic 83 stores switch operation information (q0 to q3) for determining the operation of the first switch 85A and switch operation information (q4 to q7) for determining the operation of the second switch 85B. As will be described later, the first switch 85A controls application / non-application of the first drive signal COM_A to the piezo element PZT, and the second switch 85B controls application / non-application of the second drive signal COM_B to the piezo element PZT. It is something to control. The switch operation information q0 to q7 is also called selection pattern data (SP data) and is transmitted through the same signal line as the dot formation data SI. For this reason, the control logic 83 sets the transmitted switch operation information q0 to q7 in the SP shift register 83a at a timing defined by the shift register (also referred to as SP shift register for convenience) 83a and the latch signal LAT. And a pattern register 83b that latches the set switch operation information q0 to q7.

  The pattern register 83b stores switch operation information for each type of switch and for each type of dot formation data SI. In other words, the switch operation information is stored for each type of drive signal and for each type of dot formation data SI. More specifically, the pattern register 83b relates to the first switch 85A, the switch operation information q0 corresponding to dot non-formation (data [00]), and the switch corresponding to small dot formation (data [01]). Operation information q1, switch operation information q2 corresponding to medium dot formation (data [10]), and switch operation information q3 corresponding to large dot formation (data [11]) are stored. Further, regarding the second switch 85B, switch operation information q4 corresponding to non-formation of dots, switch operation information q5 corresponding to formation of small dots, switch operation information q6 corresponding to formation of medium dots, and large dot The switch operation information q7 corresponding to the formation is stored.

  The control logic 83 outputs these switch operation information q0 to q7. The contents of the switch operation information q0 to q7 are updated at a timing specified by the latch signal LAT, a timing specified by the first change signal CH_A, and a timing specified by the second change signal CH_B.

  The decoder 84 selects the switch operation information (q0 to q7) output from the control logic 83 according to the dot formation data SI latched by the latch circuit 82, and selects the selected switch operation information as the first switch 85A. Output to each of the second switches 85B. For example, when the dot formation data SI indicates that dots are not formed, the switch operation information q0 is output to the first switch 85A, and the switch operation information q4 is output to the second switch 85B. When the dot formation data SI indicates the formation of small dots, the switch operation information q1 is output to the first switch 85A, and the switch operation information q5 is output to the second switch 85B. Similarly, when the dot formation data SI indicates the formation of medium dots, the switch operation information q2 is output to the first switch 85A and the switch operation information q6 is output to the second switch 85B, respectively, indicating the formation of large dots. The switch operation information q3 is output to the first switch 85A, and the switch operation information q7 is output to the second switch 85B.

  Here, the switch operation information output from the control logic 83 is the information before being selected by the decoder 84. For this reason, it can also be expressed as pre-selection switch operation information. On the other hand, the switch operation information applied to the first switch 85A is selected by the decoder 84. Therefore, this corresponds to post-selection switch operation information. Accordingly, it can be said that the decoder 84 outputs the switch operation information corresponding to the dot formation data SI from the plural types of pre-selection switch operation information that is output simultaneously. In this configuration, since a selection from a plurality of types of pre-selection switch operation information is output as post-selection switch operation information, the processing can be speeded up.

  The first switch 85A is a switch that operates according to the switch operation information q0 to q3. The first switch 85A is disposed between the supply line of the first drive signal COM_A and the piezo element PZT, and applies the first drive signal COM_A to the piezo element PZT in the on state and the first drive signal COM_A in the off state. Shut off. The second switch 85B is a switch that operates according to the switch operation information q4 to q7. The second switch 85B is disposed between the supply line of the second drive signal COM_B and the piezo element PZT, and applies the second drive signal COM_B to the piezo element PZT in the on state and the second drive signal COM_B in the off state. Shut off. The switch operation information q0 to q7 is determined such that there is no period during which both the first switch 85A and the second switch 85B are in the ON state. This is to protect the portion that generates the first drive signal COM_A and the portion that generates the second drive signal COM_B in the drive signal generation unit 50. That is, when both the first switch 85A and the second switch 85B are turned on, a through current flows between these parts, which may adversely affect the circuit. Considering this point, the switch operation information q0 to q7 is determined so that either one of the first switch 85A and the second switch 85B is turned on or both are turned off.

<About the signal selector>
Next, the signal selection unit SSC (LC) attached to the head control unit HC (LC) for light cyan ink and the signal selection unit SSC (LM) attached to the head control unit HC (LM) for magenta ink ). Note that these signal selectors SSC (LC) and SSC (LM) have the same configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the signal selection units SSC (LC) and SSC (LM) are both configured by an AND circuit 86A. The AND circuit 86A corresponds to another AND circuit, and has two input terminals and one output terminal. The dot formation data SI is input to one of the input terminals. That is, light cyan dot formation data SI5 is input to the signal selection unit SSC (LC), and light magenta dot formation data SI6 is input to the signal selection unit SSC (LM). The inverted data of the designated mode data SM is input to the other input terminal. The designated mode data SM is data indicating the designated printing mode, and is data [0] (L level, predetermined level) in the high image quality mode, and data [1] (H level, other predetermined levels) in the high speed mode. ) Accordingly, when the high image quality mode is determined as the printing mode, the output from the AND circuit 86A is the same as the dot formation data SI. In this case, the upper bits of the dot formation data SI are set in the first shift register 81A, and the lower bits of the dot formation data SI are set in the second shift register 81B. Further, switch operation information q0 to q7 is set in the SP shift register 83a. On the other hand, when the high-speed mode is determined as the printing mode, the output from the AND circuit 86A is data [0] regardless of the dot formation data SI. In this case, data [0] is set in each of the first shift register 81A, the second shift register 81B, and the SP shift register 83a. Therefore, when the high-speed mode is set, ink is not ejected from the nozzles Nz constituting the light cyan ink nozzle row Nlc and the nozzles Nz constituting the light magenta ink nozzle row Nlm. The AND circuit 86A performing such an operation corresponds to a data invalidation unit (specifically, another data invalidation unit) that invalidates the dot formation data SI in accordance with the contents of the designated mode data SM. The AND circuit 86A can prevent malfunction of the head controllers HC (LC) and HC (LM) in the high speed mode.

<About the second type head controller HC>
Next, the second type head controller HC will be described. The second type head control unit HC is used for the head control unit HC that controls the ink ejection by switching the dot formation data SI between four types and six types. The head 41 is used for head control units HC (C) and HC (M) that control the ejection of dark cyan ink and dark magenta ink. As shown in FIG. 8, the second type head controller HC includes a first shift register 81A, a second shift register 81B, a third shift register 81C, a first latch circuit 82A, and a second latch circuit 82B. A third latch circuit 82C, a control logic 83, a decoder 84, a first switch 85A, and a second switch 85B. Even in the second type head control unit HC, each part except the control logic 83, that is, each shift register 81A to 81C, each latch circuit 82A to 82C, decoder 84, first switch 85A, and second switch 85B, Each is provided for each piezo element PZT.

  In the first shift register 81A, the second shift register 81B, and the third shift register 81C, the dot formation data SI from the printer-side controller 70 is set. In the high image quality mode, the upper bits of the dot formation data SI are set in the first shift register 81A, and the lower bits of the dot formation data SI are set in the second shift register 81B. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the dot formation data SI1 is input to the head control unit HC (C) for dark cyan ink, and the dot formation data SI2 is input to the head control unit HC (M) for dark magenta ink. Entered. In the high image quality mode, null data is set in the third shift register 81C for any of the head controllers HC (C) and HC (M).

  On the other hand, in the high speed mode, the middle bit of the dot formation data SI is set in the first shift register 81A, and the lower bit of the dot formation data SI is set in the second shift register 81B. Then, the upper bits of the dot formation data SI are set in the third shift register 81C. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the dot formation data SI1 and the dot formation data SI5 are input to the head control unit HC (C) for dark cyan ink, and the head control unit HC (M) for dark magenta ink. Are supplied with dot formation data SI2 and dot formation data SI6. That is, the dot formation data SI for dark cyan ink is constituted by the dot formation data SI1 and the dot formation data SI5. Specifically, the dot formation data SI1 is the middle bit and the lower bit in the dot formation data SI for dark cyan ink, and is set in the first shift register 81A and the second shift register 81B, respectively. Further, the dot formation data SI5 is the upper bit in the dot formation data SI for dark cyan ink and is set in the third shift register 81C. On the other hand, the dot formation data SI for dark magenta ink is constituted by the dot formation data SI2 and the dot formation data SI6. Specifically, the dot formation data SI2 becomes the middle and lower bits in the dot formation data SI for dark magenta ink, and is set in the first shift register 81A and the second shift register 81B, respectively. Further, the dot formation data SI6 becomes the upper bit in the dot formation data SI for dark magenta ink, and is set in the third shift register 81C.

  The first latch circuit 82A, the second latch circuit 82B, and the third latch circuit 82C latch the dot formation data SI set in the first shift register 81A, the second shift register 81B, and the third shift register 81C. To do. That is, the first latch circuit 82A latches the dot formation data SI set in the first shift register 81A. The second latch circuit 82B latches the dot formation data SI set in the second shift register 81B, and the third latch circuit 82C latches the dot formation data SI set in the third shift register 81C. Then, by being latched by the first latch circuit 82 </ b> A to the third latch circuit 82 </ b> C, the dot formation data SI is set for each nozzle Nz and input to the decoder 84.

  The control logic 83 stores switch operation information for determining the operation of the first switch 85A and switch operation information for determining the operation of the second switch 85B. Here, the types of the switch operation information are different between the high image quality mode and the high speed mode. That is, since there are four types of dot formation data SI in the high image quality mode, the switch operation information q0 to q3 is used for the first switch 85A, and the switch operation information q4 to q7 is used for the second switch 85B. There are eight types of switch operation information in total. On the other hand, since there are six types of dot formation data SI in the high-speed mode, switch operation information q0 to q5 is used for the first switch 85A, and switch operation information q6 to q11 is used for the second switch 85B. The total of switch operation information is 12 types.

  The switch operation information q0 to q7 or q0 to q11 is set in the SP shift register 83a. Here, in the high speed mode, switch operation information q0 to q11 having a larger data amount than that in the high image quality mode is set. For this reason, the SP shift register 83a of the second type head controller HC also has an area for storing switch operation information transmitted through the same signal line as the dot formation data SI5 and SI6. The pattern register 83b latches the switch operation information q0 to q7 or q0 to q11 set in the SP shift register 83a at a timing defined by the latch signal LAT. The pattern register 83b stores switch operation information for each type of switch and for each type of dot formation data SI. Since the switch operation information q0 to q7 stored in the high image quality mode is the same as that of the first type head controller HC, description thereof is omitted. On the other hand, the switch operation information q0 to q11 stored in the high-speed mode is specifically as follows. That is, the pattern register 83b relates to the first switch 85A, the switch operation information q0 corresponding to the non-formation of the dot (data [000]), and the switch operation information corresponding to the formation of the first small dot (data [001]). q1, switch operation information q2 corresponding to the formation of the second small dot (data [100]), switch operation information q3 corresponding to the formation of the first medium dot (data [010]), and the second medium dot Switch operation information q4 corresponding to formation (data [101]) and switch operation information q5 corresponding to formation of large dots (data [011]) are stored. Further, regarding the second switch 85B, switch operation information q6 corresponding to the non-formation of dots, switch operation information q7 corresponding to the formation of the first small dots, and switch operation information q8 corresponding to the formation of the second small dots, The switch operation information q9 corresponding to the formation of the first medium dot, the switch operation information q10 corresponding to the formation of the second medium dot, and the switch operation information q11 corresponding to the formation of the large dot are stored.

  The switch logic information q0 to q7 (high quality mode) or q0 to q11 (high speed mode) is output from the control logic 83. The contents of the switch operation information q0 to q7 or q0 to q11 are updated at the timing specified by the latch signal LAT, the timing specified by the first change signal CH_A, and the timing specified by the second change signal CH_B. Is done.

  The decoder 84 selects the switch operation information (q0 to q7, q0 to q11) output from the control logic 83 according to the dot formation data SI latched by the latch circuit 82, and selects the selected switch operation information. Output to each of the first switch 85A and the second switch 85B. The first switch 85A is a switch that operates according to the switch operation information q0 to q3 (high quality mode) and q0 to q5 (high speed mode), and controls application of the first drive signal COM_A to the piezo element PZT. The second switch 85B is a switch that operates according to the switch operation information q4 to q7 (high image quality mode) and q6 to q11 (high speed mode), and controls application of the second drive signal COM_B to the piezo element PZT.

<About the signal selector>
Next, the signal selection units SSC (C) and SSC (M) attached to the second type head control unit HC will be described. These signal selectors SSC (C) and SSC (M) have the same configuration, and both are configured by an AND circuit 86B. The AND circuit 86B has two input terminals and one output terminal. The dot formation data SI is input to one of the input terminals. That is, the dot formation data SI5 is input to the signal selection unit SSC (C), and the dot formation data SI6 is input to the signal selection unit SSC (M). The designated mode data SM is input to the other input terminal. Accordingly, when the high image quality mode is determined as the printing mode, the designated mode data SM is data [0] (L level), and therefore, data [0] is output from the AND circuit 86B regardless of the contents of the dot formation data SI. ] Is output. In this case, as described above, null data is set in the third shift register 81C. Therefore, the AND circuit 86B also corresponds to a data invalidation unit that invalidates the dot formation data SI according to the contents of the designated mode data SM. On the other hand, when the high-speed mode is determined, the designated mode data SM is data [1] (H level). For this reason, the output of the AND circuit 86B is the same as the dot formation data SI. As a result, the upper bits of the dot formation data SI are set in the third shift register 81C.

  Therefore, when the print mode is set to the high image quality mode, the upper bit data set in the first shift register 81A and the lower bit data set in the second shift register 81B are combined. Input to the decoder 84. In this case, the null data set in the third shift register 81C is not used. Based on the 2-bit dot formation data SI, ink ejection control is performed using the four types of dot formation data SI.

  On the other hand, when the printing mode is set to the high-speed mode, the middle-order bit data set in the first shift register 81A, the lower-order bit data set in the second shift register 81B, and the third shift register The upper bit data set in 81C is paired and input to the decoder 84. In this case, ink ejection control is performed using six types of dot formation data SI based on the 3-bit dot formation data SI.

=== Printing operation ===
<About printing operation>
When an image is printed on the paper S by the illustrated printing system 100, a process for generating print data and a process for printing on the paper S based on the print data are performed. A process for generating print data is performed by the computer 110 included in the printing system 100. That is, the CPU 113 included in the host-side controller 111 operates according to a computer program (for example, a printer driver) stored in the memory 114 and executes this process. Therefore, this computer program has a code for executing each process. The process for printing on the paper S is performed by the printer 1 included in the printing system 100. That is, the CPU 72 included in the printer-side controller 70 operates according to the computer program stored in the memory 73 and executes this process. Therefore, this computer program has a code for executing each process.

<Processing for generating print data>
First, processing for generating print data will be described. Here, FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining processing for generating print data. As shown in FIG. 9, in the processing for generating print data, resolution conversion processing (S10), color conversion processing (S20), halftone processing (S30), and rasterization processing (S40) are performed.

  The resolution conversion process is a process for converting image data (text data, image data, etc.) to a resolution for printing an image on the paper S (the interval between dots when printing, also referred to as print resolution). . The color conversion process is a process of converting each RGB pixel data of the RGB image data into data having multi-level gradation values (for example, 256-level printing gradation values) represented by the CMYK color space. This color conversion process is performed, for example, by referring to a table (color conversion lookup table) in which RGB gradation values and CMYK gradation values are associated with each other.

  The halftone process is a process for converting CMYK pixel data having multi-stage gradation values into data of small-stage dot gradation values that can be expressed by the printer 1. That is, this is processing for obtaining dot formation data SI from CMYK pixel data having multi-stage gradation values. By this halftone processing, for example, 2-bit data or 3-bit data dot formation data SI (4 types or 6 types of dot tone values) is obtained from CMYK pixel data indicating 256 levels of tone values. Here, FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the contents of the halftone process. As shown in FIG. 10, in this halftone process, it is first determined whether or not the image quality mode is set (S31). If it is determined that the image quality mode is selected, it is determined whether the remaining ink amount is sufficient (S32). This determination is made based on the determination reference amount of the remaining ink amount. For example, if the remaining ink amount is greater than or equal to the determination reference amount, it is determined that the remaining ink amount is sufficient, and if it is less than the determination reference amount, it is determined that the remaining ink amount is not sufficient. This determination reference amount is determined based on the remaining ink amount that interferes with printing. Specifically, it is set to an amount obtained by adding a predetermined margin to the remaining ink amount that interferes with printing. By determining the determination reference amount in this way, it is possible to switch the print mode before it interferes with printing. If it is determined that the remaining ink amount is sufficient, four types of dot formation data SI are generated for six types of ink (S33). That is, 2-bit dot formation data SI is generated. If there is an ink with an insufficient remaining ink amount (hereinafter also referred to as insufficient ink) in step S32, it is determined whether the insufficient ink is light ink (S34). Here, if the insufficient ink is light ink, or if it is determined in step S31 that it is not the high image quality mode, the high speed mode is set. Then, dot formation data SI is generated for the four types of ink (S35). Specifically, six types of dot formation data SI are generated for dark cyan ink and dark magenta ink. On the other hand, four types of dot formation data SI are generated for black ink and yellow ink. If it is determined in step S34 that the insufficient ink is not light ink, that is, if there is a shortage of ink other than light cyan ink and light magenta ink, an error message is output (S36). In this case, replacement of the ink cartridge IC is prompted. As can be seen from the above description, the halftone process performs a process of limiting the print mode to a mode that does not use an ink whose residual ink amount is less than the determination reference amount when there is ink that is less than the determination reference amount. It can be said that there is. In this configuration, it is possible to prevent ink from being ejected, and thus to protect the piezo element PZT.

  The rasterizing process is a process of changing the dot formation data SI obtained by the halftone process in the order of data to be transferred to the printer 1. The rasterized dot formation data SI is output to the printer 1 as print data together with the command data described above.

<Processing for Printing on Paper S>
Next, processing performed by the printer 1 for printing on the paper S will be described. Here, FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining processing performed at the time of printing. As shown in FIG. 11, in the process for printing on the paper S, a print command reception operation (S110), a paper feed operation (S120), a dot formation operation (S130), a transport operation (S140), and a paper discharge determination ( S150), a paper discharge operation (S160), and a print end determination (S170) are performed.

  In the print command reception operation, the printer-side controller 70 receives a print command from the computer 110 via the interface unit 71. This print command is included in print data transmitted from the computer 110. The paper feeding operation is an operation of moving the paper S to be printed and positioning it at a print start position (so-called cueing position). In this paper feeding operation, the printer-side controller 70 rotates the paper feeding roller 21 and sends the paper S to be printed to the transport roller 23. Subsequently, the printer-side controller 70 rotates the transport roller 23 to position the paper S sent from the paper feed roller 21 at the print start position. The dot formation operation is an operation in which dots are formed on the paper S by intermittently ejecting ink from the head 41 moving in the carriage movement direction. The printer-side controller 70 drives the carriage motor 31 to move the carriage CR in the carriage movement direction. Further, the printer-side controller 70 ejects ink from the head 41 (nozzles Nz) based on the dot formation data SI while the carriage CR is moving. When the ink discharged from the head 41 lands on the paper S, dots are formed on the paper S as described above. The dot forming operation will be described in detail later. The transport operation is an operation of moving the paper S relative to the head 41 along the transport direction. The printer-side controller 70 rotates the transport roller 23 to transport the paper S in the transport direction. By this transport operation, the head 41 can form dots at positions different from the positions of the dots formed by the previous dot formation operation. The paper discharge determination is a process for determining whether or not to discharge the paper S being printed. This determination is made based on the presence or absence of print data. That is, the printer-side controller 70 determines whether or not there is print data for the paper S being printed, and determines that the paper is not discharged if the print data remains. In this case, the printer-side controller 70 alternately repeats the dot formation operation and the conveyance operation until there is no print data, and gradually prints an image composed of dots on the paper S. Further, the printer-side controller 70 determines that the paper is discharged if there is no print data, and rotates the paper discharge roller 25 to discharge the printed paper S to the outside. Note that whether or not to discharge paper may be determined based on a paper discharge command included in the print data. The print end determination is a determination as to whether or not to continue printing. In this determination, the printer-side controller 70 determines whether there is print data. If printing is to be performed on the next paper S, the paper feeding operation for the next paper S is performed. On the other hand, if printing is not performed on the next sheet S, the printing operation is terminated.

<About dot formation operation>
Next, the dot forming operation (S130) will be described in detail. Here, FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the drive signals COM (first drive signal COM_A, second drive signal COM_B) generated by the drive signal generation unit 50. FIG. 13A is a diagram for explaining the drive pulse applied to the piezo element PZT and the amount of ejected ink for each ink type and each dot formation data SI in the high image quality mode. FIG. 13B is a diagram for explaining the drive pulse applied to the piezo element PZT and the amount of ejected ink in each high-speed mode for each ink type and for each dot formation data SI. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the interval signal of the drive signal COM applied by the black ink and the yellow ink in the high image quality mode and the high speed mode for each dot type. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a section signal of a drive signal applied by dark cyan ink dark magenta ink in the high speed mode for each dot type.

  In this dot formation operation, the host-side controller 111 (printer driver) generates dot formation data SI. As the dot formation data SI is generated, the host-side controller 111 counts the number of ink ejections. Thereby, the remaining ink amount is updated. On the other hand, the printer-side controller 70 outputs a DAC value to the drive signal generation unit 50, and the drive signal generation unit 50 outputs a voltage signal corresponding to the DAC value to the head unit 40. That is, the drive signal generation unit 50 generates the drive signal COM having a voltage defined by the DAC value. The generation of the drive signal COM is repeated every time the latch signal LAT becomes H level. As a result, the drive signal COM shown in FIG. 12, that is, the first drive signal COM_A and the second drive signal COM_B are repeatedly generated every repetition period T. As described above, the first drive signal COM_A is generated in the first period signal SS11 generated in the first period T1, the second period signal SS12 generated in the second period T2, and the third period T3. And the third section signal SS13. The second drive signal COM_B is generated in the first period signal SS21 generated in the first period T1, in the second period signal SS22 generated in the second period T2, and in the third period T3. It consists of a three-section signal SS23. The first section signal SS11 included in the first drive signal COM_A has a first drive pulse PS1. The second section signal SS12 has a second drive pulse PS2, and the third section signal SS13 has a third drive pulse PS3. Similarly, the first interval signal SS21 included in the second drive signal COM_B has the fourth drive pulse PS4, the second interval signal SS22 has the fifth drive pulse PS5, and the third interval signal SS23 has the sixth drive pulse PS6. .

  These drive pulses PS1 to PS6 correspond to waveform portions for driving the piezo element PZT to perform a desired operation. In the present embodiment, by applying these drive pulses PS1 to PS6, the piezo element PZT expands and contracts to displace the island portion 412j. Of these drive pulses PS1 to PS6, the drive pulses PS1, PS3 and PS5 all have the same waveform, and when one drive pulse is applied to the piezo element PZT, about 7 pL of ink is ejected. The When the second drive pulse PS2 is applied to the piezo element PZT, approximately 2.5 pL of ink is ejected, and when the sixth drive pulse PS6 is applied to the piezo element PZT, approximately 1.6 pL of ink is ejected. . When the fourth drive pulse PS4 is applied to the piezo element PZT, a weak pressure fluctuation that does not eject ink occurs in the ink in the pressure chamber 412d, and the meniscus is slightly vibrated.

  Next, an operation of applying a necessary portion of the drive signal COM to the piezo element PZT based on the switch operation information will be described. The dot formation data SI in the high image quality mode has four types corresponding to the absence of dots, the formation of small dots, the formation of medium dots, and the formation of large dots. The switch operation information q0 to q7 is determined as follows. That is, the switch operation information q0 corresponding to the dot formation data SI without dots is the data [000], and the switch operation information q4 is the data [100]. The switch operation information q1 corresponding to the dot formation data SI for small dots is data [000], and the switch operation information q5 is data [001]. The switch operation information q2 corresponding to the dot formation data SI for medium dots is data [000], and the switch operation information q6 is data [010]. Furthermore, the switch operation information q3 corresponding to the large dot formation data SI is data [101], and the switch operation information q7 is data [010].

  On the other hand, there are four types of dot formation data SI in the high-speed mode corresponding to the absence of dots, the formation of small dots, the formation of medium dots, and the formation of large dots for black ink and yellow ink. In this case, the switch operation information is the same as in the high image quality mode. Therefore, the description is omitted. For dark cyan ink and dark magenta ink, no dot, first small dot formation, second small dot formation, first medium dot formation, second medium dot formation, and large dot There are six types corresponding to each of the formations. In this case, the switch operation information q0 to q11 is determined as follows. That is, the switch operation information q0 corresponding to the dot formation data SI without dots is the data [000], and the switch operation information q6 is the data [100]. The switch operation information q1 corresponding to the dot formation data SI of the first small dot is data [000], and the switch operation information q7 is data [001]. The switch operation information q2 corresponding to the dot formation data SI of the second small dot is data [010], and the switch operation information q8 is data [000]. The switch operation information q3 corresponding to the dot formation data SI for the first medium dot is data [000], and the switch operation information q9 is data [010]. The switch operation information q4 corresponding to the dot formation data SI of the second medium dot is data [100], and the switch operation information q10 is data [010]. The switch operation information q5 corresponding to the large dot formation data SI is data [101], and the switch operation information q11 is data [010].

  Thereby, in the high-quality mode and the high-speed mode black ink and yellow ink, the section signals SS11 to SS23 are applied to the piezo element PZT in the pattern shown in FIG. That is, when there is no dot, the first section signal SS21 of the second drive signal COM_B is applied to the piezo element PZT. The meniscus is vibrated slightly by the fourth drive pulse PS4 included in the first section signal SS21. In the formation of small dots, the third section signal SS23 (sixth drive pulse PS6) of the second drive signal COM_B is applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 1.6 pL of ink is ejected. In the formation of medium dots, the second interval signal SS22 (fifth drive pulse PS5) of the second drive signal COM_B is applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 7 pL of ink is ejected. In the formation of large dots, the first section signal SS11 (first driving pulse PS1) of the first driving signal COM_A, the third section signal SS13 (third driving pulse PS3), and the second section signal SS22 (second driving signal COM_B). The fifth drive pulse PS5) is applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 21 pL of ink is ejected.

  On the other hand, in the high-speed mode dark cyan ink and dark magenta ink, the section signals SS11 to SS23 are applied to the piezo element PZT in the pattern shown in FIG. That is, when there is no dot, the first interval signal SS21 (fourth drive pulse PS4) of the second drive signal COM_B is applied to the piezo element PZT, and the meniscus is slightly vibrated. In forming the first small dot, the third interval signal SS23 (sixth drive pulse PS6) of the second drive signal COM_B is applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 1.6 pL of ink is ejected. In the formation of the second small dots, the second interval signal SS12 (second drive pulse PS2) of the first drive signal COM_A is applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 2.5 pL of ink is ejected. In forming the first medium dot, the second interval signal SS22 (fifth drive pulse PS5) of the second drive signal COM_B is applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 7 pL of ink is ejected. In the formation of the second medium dot, the first interval signal SS11 (first drive pulse PS1) of the first drive signal COM_A and the second interval signal SS22 (fifth drive pulse PS5) of the second drive signal COM_B are applied to the piezo element PZT. When applied, about 14 pL of ink is ejected. In the formation of large dots, the first section signal SS11 (first driving pulse PS1) of the first driving signal COM_A, the third section signal SS13 (third driving pulse PS3), and the second section signal SS22 (second driving signal COM_B). The fifth drive pulse PS5) is applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 21 pL of ink is ejected.

  As described above, in the printer 1 of the present embodiment, both the dark cyan ink and the dark magenta ink, the light cyan ink and the light magenta ink are used, and the image quality mode in which printing is performed with the four types of dot formation data SI, the dark cyan Printing is performed in a predetermined printing mode from a high-speed mode in which printing is performed with six types of dot formation data SI using ink and dark magenta ink. Here, in the high-speed mode, the type of ink used is smaller than that in the high-quality mode, so the control load is reduced and the processing speed can be increased. In the high-speed mode, the number of types of dot formation data SI is determined to be larger than that in the high-resolution mode for dark ink (dark cyan ink, dark magenta ink). Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of image quality due to the small amount of image quality. That is, it is possible to print with higher image quality in the high image quality mode, and to print at high speed while suppressing deterioration in image quality in the high speed mode. By selecting these print modes, it is possible to achieve both high speed printing and high image quality at a high level.

  In the printing system 100, when the high resolution mode is determined as the printing mode, the printer driver determines that the remaining ink amount is not sufficient for at least one of the light cyan ink and the light magenta ink. Switch to fast mode. At this time, printing is performed using four types of inks, dark cyan ink, dark magenta ink, black ink, and yellow ink. Thereby, even if light ink (light cyan ink, light magenta ink) is insufficient, printing can be continued by using dark ink, and ink can be used effectively. In this case, the number of types of dark ink dot formation data SI is larger than that in the high image quality mode. In particular, in the printing system 100, the difference in ink amount between a certain dot gradation value in the high-speed mode and the next dot gradation value is calculated as a certain dot gradation value and the next dot gradation value in the high resolution mode. Is smaller than the difference in ink amount. Specifically, the difference in ink amount between the formation of the first small dot and the formation of the second small dot in the high speed mode is about 0.9 pL, whereas the formation of the small dot and the medium dot in the high resolution mode. The difference in the amount of ink between the formation of and 5.4 is about 5.4 pL. Note that the same amount of ink is ejected in the formation of the first small dots in the high-speed mode and the formation of the small dots in the high-resolution mode. The difference in ink amount between the formation of the first medium dot and the formation of the second medium dot in the high speed mode is about 7 pL, whereas the ink amount in the formation of the medium dot and the formation of the large dot in the high resolution mode. The difference is about 14 pL. Here, the same amount of ink is ejected in the formation of the first medium dot in the high-speed mode and the formation of the medium dot in the high-resolution mode. Furthermore, the amount of ink ejected in the formation of large dots is the same in the high image quality mode and the high speed mode. As a result, with respect to cyan and magenta, the degree of change in density in dark ink in the high speed mode can be made finer than the degree of change in density in dark ink in the high image quality mode. As a result, it is possible to suppress deterioration in image quality caused by not using light ink.

  Further, when the high speed mode is designated for one of cyan and magenta, the high speed mode is designated for the other. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a problem caused by a difference in the print mode, for example, a problem that the color balance is lost between cyan and magenta.

=== Second Embodiment ===
In the first embodiment described above, when light ink (light cyan ink, light magenta ink) is insufficient, printing is continued using dark ink (dark cyan ink, dark magenta ink). However, it is not limited to this configuration. For example, printing can be performed using light ink instead of dark ink. Hereinafter, the second embodiment configured as above will be described.

<Outline of Second Embodiment>
The hardware configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, description of the hardware configuration is omitted, and an outline of the operation will be described. The second printing system 100 also selects a high-quality mode using six types of ink (corresponding to the first printing mode) and a high-speed mode using four types of ink (corresponding to the second printing mode), Printing can be performed. Here, the ink used in the high image quality mode is the same as in the first embodiment. On the other hand, the high-speed mode includes a first high-speed mode that uses black ink, yellow ink, dark cyan ink, and dark magenta ink, and a second high-speed mode that uses black ink, yellow ink, light cyan ink, and light magenta ink. Modes are available. In the first high-speed mode, black ink and yellow ink are ejected with four types of dot formation data SI, and dark cyan ink and dark magenta ink are ejected with six types of dot formation data SI (a number larger than a predetermined number). This corresponds to the dot gradation value of the above type). In the first high-speed mode, as in the high-speed mode of the first embodiment described above, the difference in ink amount between a certain dot gradation value and the next dot gradation value indicates that a certain dot gradation in the high-quality mode. This is smaller than the difference in ink amount between the value and the next dot gradation value. In the second high-speed mode, black ink and yellow ink are ejected with four types of dot formation data SI, and light cyan ink and light magenta ink are ejected with six types of dot formation data SI.

<About halftone processing>
Next, halftone processing will be described. Here, FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining halftone processing in the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 16, in this halftone process, it is first determined whether or not the mode is a high image quality mode (S210). If it is determined that the image quality mode is selected, it is determined whether the remaining ink amount is sufficient (S215). If it is determined that the remaining ink amount is sufficient, four types of dot formation data SI are generated for six types of ink (S220). That is, 2-bit dot formation data SI is generated. If there is insufficient ink in step S215, it is determined whether the insufficient ink is light ink (S225). Here, when the insufficient ink is light ink, the first high-speed mode is set, and dot formation data SI is generated for four types of ink including dark cyan ink, dark magenta ink, black ink, and yellow ink. (S240). Specifically, six types of dot formation data SI are generated for dark cyan ink and dark magenta ink. On the other hand, four types of dot formation data SI are generated for black ink and yellow ink. If it is determined in step S210 that the mode is not the high image quality mode, the first high speed mode is set (S230). Then, it is determined whether or not the remaining ink amount is sufficient (S235). Here, the remaining ink amounts are determined for dark cyan ink, dark magenta ink, black ink, and yellow ink, and when it is determined that the remaining ink amount is sufficient, dot formation data SI is generated for these inks ( S240). If it is determined in step S225 that the insufficient ink is not light ink, or if it is determined in step S235 that there is insufficient ink, the insufficient ink is dark ink (dark cyan ink, dark magenta ink). It is determined whether or not there is (S245). Here, when the insufficient ink is dark ink, the second high speed mode is set, and dot formation data SI is generated for four types of ink including light cyan ink, light magenta ink, black ink, and yellow ink. (S250). Specifically, six types of dot formation data SI are generated for light cyan ink and light magenta ink. On the other hand, four types of dot formation data SI are generated for black ink and yellow ink. If it is determined in step S245 that the insufficient ink is not dark ink, that is, if there is a shortage of black ink or magenta ink, an error message is output (S255). In this case, replacement of the ink cartridge IC is prompted.

<About dot formation operation>
Next, the dot forming operation will be described in detail. Here, FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the drive signals COM (first drive signal COM_A and second drive signal COM_B) generated by the drive signal generation unit 50. FIG. 18A is a diagram for explaining the drive pulse applied to the piezo element PZT and the amount of ink ejected in the high image quality mode for each ink type and each dot formation data SI. FIG. 18B is a diagram for describing the drive pulse applied to the piezo element PZT and the amount of ink ejected in the first high-speed mode for each ink type and for each dot formation data SI. FIG. 18C is a diagram for describing the drive pulse applied to the piezo element PZT and the amount of ink ejected in the second high-speed mode for each ink type and for each dot formation data SI. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the interval signal of the drive signal COM applied by the black ink and the yellow ink in the high image quality mode and the high speed mode for each dot type. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the interval signal of the drive signal applied by the dark cyan ink dark magenta ink in the first high speed mode for each dot type. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a section signal of a drive signal applied by light cyan ink and light magenta ink in the second high speed mode for each type of dot.

  In this dot formation operation, the host-side controller 111 (printer driver) generates dot formation data SI and updates the remaining ink amount. On the other hand, the printer-side controller 70 controls the drive signal generation unit 50, and the drive signal generation unit 50 generates the drive signals COM (first drive signal COM_A, second drive signal COM_B). As illustrated in FIG. 17, the first drive signal COM_A includes a first interval signal SS31 generated in a period T1, a second interval signal SS32 generated in a period T2, and a third interval signal generated in a period T3. SS33 and the fourth section signal SS34 generated in the period T4. In addition, the second drive signal COM_B includes a first section signal SS41 generated in the period T1, a second section signal SS42 generated in the period T2, a third section signal SS43 generated in the period T3, and a period T4. The fourth section signal SS44 generated in the above. The first interval signal SS31 included in the first drive signal COM_A includes the first drive pulse PS11, and the second interval signal SS32 includes the second drive pulse PS12. The third section signal SS33 has a third drive pulse PS13, and the fourth section signal SS34 has a fourth drive pulse PS14. Similarly, the first interval signal SS41 included in the second drive signal COM_B includes a fifth drive pulse PS15, and the second interval signal SS42 includes a sixth drive pulse PS16. The third section signal SS43 has a seventh drive pulse PS17, and the fourth section signal SS44 has an eighth drive pulse PS18.

  Among these drive pulses PS11 to PS18, the drive pulses PS11, PS13, PS16 and PS18 all have the same waveform, and when one drive pulse is applied to the piezo element PZT, about 6 pL of ink is ejected. The When the second drive pulse PS12 is applied to the piezo element PZT, about 2.5 pL of ink is ejected, and when the fourth drive pulse PS14 is applied to the piezo element PZT, about 9 pL of ink is ejected. Further, when the seventh drive pulse PS17 is applied to the piezo element PZT, about 1.6 pL of ink is ejected. When the fifth drive pulse PS15 is applied to the piezo element PZT, the meniscus slightly vibrates.

  Next, an operation of applying a necessary portion of the drive signal COM to the piezo element PZT based on the switch operation information will be described. The dot formation data SI in the high image quality mode has four types corresponding to the absence of dots, the formation of small dots, the formation of medium dots, and the formation of large dots. The switch operation information q0 to q7 is determined as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 19, the switch operation information q0 corresponding to the dot formation data SI without dots is the data [0000], and the switch operation information q4 is the data [1000]. The switch operation information q1 corresponding to the dot formation data SI for small dots is data [0000], and the switch operation information q5 is data [0010]. The switch operation information q2 corresponding to the dot formation data SI for medium dots is data [0010], and the switch operation information q6 is data [0100]. Furthermore, the switch operation information q3 corresponding to the large dot formation data SI is data [1010], and the switch operation information q7 is data [0101].

  Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 18A, the first section signal SS41 of the second drive signal COM_B is applied to the piezo element PZT when there is no dot. The meniscus is vibrated slightly by the fifth drive pulse PS15 included in the first section signal SS41. In the formation of small dots, the third interval signal SS43 (seventh drive pulse PS17) of the second drive signal COM_B is applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 1.6 pL of ink is ejected. In the formation of the medium dot, the third interval signal SS33 (third drive pulse PS13) of the first drive signal COM_A and the second interval signal SS42 (sixth drive pulse PS16) of the second drive signal COM_B are applied to the piezo element PZT. About 12 pL of ink is ejected. In the formation of large dots, the first section signal SS31 (first driving pulse PS11) of the first driving signal COM_A, the third section signal SS33 (third driving pulse PS13), and the second section signal SS42 (second driving signal COM_B). A sixth drive pulse PS16) and a fourth section signal SS44 (eighth drive pulse PS18) are applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 24 pL of ink is ejected.

  On the other hand, regarding the dot formation data SI in the first high-speed mode and the second high-speed mode, for black ink and yellow ink, there are no dot, small dot formation, medium dot formation, and large dot formation, respectively. There are four corresponding types. In this case, the switch operation information is the same as in the high image quality mode. Therefore, the description is omitted. For dark cyan ink and dark magenta ink, no dot, first small dot formation, second small dot formation, first medium dot formation, second medium dot formation, and large dot There are six types corresponding to each of the formations.

  In this case, the switch operation information q0 to q11 in the first high speed mode is determined as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 20, the switch operation information q0 corresponding to the dot formation data SI without dots is the data [0000], and the switch operation information q6 is the data [1000]. The switch operation information q1 corresponding to the dot formation data SI of the first small dot is data [0000], and the switch operation information q7 is data [0010]. The switch operation information q2 corresponding to the dot formation data SI of the second small dot is data [0100], and the switch operation information q8 is data [0000]. The switch operation information q3 corresponding to the dot formation data SI for the first medium dot is data [0010], and the switch operation information q9 is data [0100]. The switch operation information q4 corresponding to the dot formation data SI for the second medium dot is data [1010], and the switch operation information q10 is data [0100]. The switch operation information q5 corresponding to the dot formation data SI for large dots is data [1010], and the switch operation information q11 is data [0101].

  Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 18B, when there is no dot, the first section signal SS41 (fifth drive pulse PS15) of the second drive signal COM_B is applied to the piezo element PZT, and the meniscus is slightly vibrated. In the formation of the first small dots, the third section signal SS43 (seventh drive pulse PS17) of the second drive signal COM_B is applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 1.6 pL of ink is ejected. In forming the second small dot, the second interval signal SS32 (second drive pulse PS12) of the first drive signal COM_A is applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 2.5 pL of ink is ejected. In the formation of the first medium dot, the third interval signal SS33 (third drive pulse PS13) of the first drive signal COM_A and the second interval signal SS42 (sixth drive pulse PS16) of the second drive signal COM_B are applied to the piezo element PZT. When applied, about 12 pL of ink is ejected. In the formation of the second medium dot, the first section signal SS31 (first driving pulse PS11) of the first driving signal COM_A, the third section signal SS33 (third driving pulse PS13), and the second section signal of the second driving signal COM_B. SS42 (sixth drive pulse PS16) is applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 18 pL of ink is ejected. In the formation of large dots, the first section signal SS31 (first driving pulse PS11) of the first driving signal COM_A, the third section signal SS33 (third driving pulse PS13), and the second section signal SS42 (second driving signal COM_B). A sixth drive pulse PS16) and a fourth section signal SS44 (eighth drive pulse PS18) are applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 24 pL of ink is ejected.

  Further, the switch operation information q0 to q11 in the second high speed mode is determined as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 21, the switch operation information q0 corresponding to the dot formation data SI without dots is the data [0000], and the switch operation information q6 is the data [1000]. The switch operation information q1 corresponding to the dot formation data SI of the first small dot is data [0100], and the switch operation information q7 is data [0000]. The switch operation information q2 corresponding to the dot formation data SI for the second small dots is data [0000], and the switch operation information q8 is data [0100]. The switch operation information q3 corresponding to the dot formation data SI of the first medium dot is data [0001], and the switch operation information q9 is data [0100]. The switch operation information q4 corresponding to the dot formation data SI for the second medium dot is data [0011], and the switch operation information q10 is data [0100]. The switch operation information q5 corresponding to the large dot formation data SI is data [1011], and the switch operation information q11 is data [0100].

  Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 18C, when there is no dot, the first section signal SS41 (fifth driving pulse PS15) of the second driving signal COM_B is applied to the piezo element PZT, and the meniscus is slightly vibrated. In forming the first small dot, the second section signal SS32 (second drive pulse PS12) of the first drive signal COM_A is applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 2.5 pL of ink is ejected. In forming the second small dot, the second interval signal SS42 (sixth drive pulse PS16) of the second drive signal COM_B is applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 6 pL of ink is ejected. In the formation of the first medium dot, the fourth interval signal SS34 (fourth drive pulse PS14) of the first drive signal COM_A and the second interval signal SS42 (sixth drive pulse PS16) of the second drive signal COM_B are applied to the piezo element PZT. When applied, approximately 15 pL of ink is ejected. In the formation of the second medium dot, the first interval signal SS33 (third drive pulse PS13) of the first drive signal COM_A, the fourth interval signal SS34 (fourth drive pulse PS14), and the second interval signal of the second drive signal COM_B. SS42 (sixth drive pulse PS16) is applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 21 pL of ink is ejected. In the formation of large dots, the first interval signal SS31 (first drive pulse PS11), the third interval signal SS33 (third drive pulse PS13), and the fourth interval signal SS34 (fourth drive pulse PS14) of the first drive signal COM_A. The second section signal SS42 (sixth drive pulse PS16) of the second drive signal COM_B is applied to the piezo element PZT, and about 27 pL of ink is ejected.

  As described above, the printer 1 according to this embodiment relates to the high-speed mode in which printing is performed with the six types of dot formation data SI using the four types of ink, and the dark cyan ink, the dark magenta ink, the black ink, and the yellow ink are used. A first high speed mode to be used and a second high speed mode using light cyan ink, light magenta ink, black ink, and yellow ink can be selected. For this reason, in addition to the effect of the first embodiment, the following effect is also achieved.

  That is, in this printing system 100, when the high resolution mode is set as the print mode, if the printer driver determines that the remaining ink amount is not sufficient for at least one of the dark cyan ink and the dark magenta ink, the print mode is set. Switch to the second high speed mode. As a result, printing using four types of inks of light cyan ink, light magenta ink, black ink, and yellow ink is performed.

  In the second high-speed mode (corresponding to the second printing mode using light ink), the amount of light cyan ink and light magenta ink ejected with large dots (corresponding to the maximum dot gradation value) is high. More than the amount of light cyan ink and light magenta ink ejected by large dots in the image quality mode. With this configuration, the maximum print density with the light ink in the second high speed mode can be made higher than the maximum print density with the light ink in the high image quality mode. As a result, it is possible to suppress deterioration in image quality caused by not using dark ink.

  Further, as can be seen from a comparison between FIG. 18B and FIG. 18C, the amount of light ink ejected with each dot formation data SI (each dot gradation value) in the second high speed mode is the dot formation corresponding to the second high speed mode. More than the amount of dark ink ejected with data SI. For example, regarding the formation of the first small dots (data [001]), the discharge amount of dark ink is about 1.6 pL, while the discharge amount of light ink is about 2.5 pL. Regarding the formation of second small dots (data [100]), the discharge amount of dark ink is about 2.5 pL, while the discharge amount of light ink is about 6 pL. Similarly, regarding the formation of the first medium dot (data [100]), the discharge amount of dark ink is 12 pL while the discharge amount of light ink is 15 pL. In the second high-speed mode, by determining the discharge amount of the light ink corresponding to each dot formation data SI in this way, it is possible to improve the insufficient density of the image due to the use of the light ink. Note that the discharge amount of the light ink corresponding to each dot formation data SI may be appropriately determined according to the ratio of the light ink density to the dark ink.

=== About Other Embodiments ===
Each of the above-described embodiments is mainly described for the printer 1, which includes disclosure of a printing apparatus, a printing method, a printing system, a program, and the like. Moreover, although the printer 1 as an embodiment has been described, the above embodiment is for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present 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 print mode switching>
In each of the above-described embodiments, the print mode is switched based on the remaining amounts of cyan and magenta dark ink and light ink. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the print mode may be selected by the user. In this case, for example, the print mode is selected via the user interface of the printer driver.
Even with this configuration, it is possible to achieve both high speed printing and high image quality at a high level.

<About gradation values>
In each of the above-described embodiments, the printing system 100 in which the type of dot formation data SI (the number of dot gradation values) in the high image quality mode is “4” has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the type of dot formation data SI may be “3” or “6”. In this case, the types of dot formation data SI for cyan ink and magenta ink in the high speed mode are determined more than the types of dot formation data SI in the high image quality mode.

<About drive signal>
In each of the embodiments described above, two types of drive signals COM including the first drive signal COM_A and the second drive signal COM_B are used. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, three or more types of drive signals COM may be used, or one type of drive signal may be used. Further, by using a plurality of types of drive signals COM, many types of section signals (drive pulses) can be included even in a limited repetition period T. As a result, even if the number of types of dot formation data SI increases in the high-speed mode, it is possible to prevent the generation period of the drive signal COM from becoming excessively long and to increase the printing speed. That is, the speed in the carriage movement direction can be increased, and both improvement in image quality and improvement in printing speed can be achieved.

<About ink colors>
In each of the above-described embodiments, dark cyan ink and light cyan ink are used when performing cyan stepwise light / dark printing, and dark magenta ink and light magenta ink are used when performing magenta stepwise light / dark printing. The printing system 100 using the above has been described as an example. However, the dark ink and light ink used for stepwise light and dark printing are not limited to cyan and magenta, and may be other colors. For example, when black gradation printing is performed, black ink and gray ink may be used. Further, when sepia gradation printing is performed, dark sepia ink and light sepia ink may be used. Here, cyan and magenta have a great influence on the hue in color printing. Therefore, for cyan and magenta, if the above-described print modes can be switched with respect to a printing system that performs stepwise dark and light printing using dark ink and light ink, a more remarkable effect can be obtained.

<About Printer 1>
In the above-described embodiment, the printing system 100 including the single-function printer 1 that exclusively performs printing has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this printer 1. For example, a so-called printer / scanner multifunction device having both the function of the printer 1 and the function of the scanner device may be used. The printer driver may be stored in a memory included in the printer 1 or the multifunction peripheral. In this case, the printer driver is executed by a CPU included in the printer-side controller. Further, instead of the printer 1, a plotter or a facsimile apparatus may be used. In addition, color filter manufacturing equipment, dyeing equipment, fine processing equipment, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, surface processing equipment, 3D modeling machines, liquid vaporizers, organic EL manufacturing equipment (especially polymer EL manufacturing equipment), display manufacturing equipment, You may apply the technique similar to this embodiment to the various printing apparatuses which applied inkjet technology, such as a film | membrane apparatus and a DNA chip manufacturing apparatus. These methods and manufacturing methods are also within the scope of application.

<Elements of the head 41>
In each of the above-described embodiments, the piezo element PZT is exemplified as an element included in the head 41, that is, an element that performs an operation for ejecting ink, but is not limited to the piezo element PZT. For example, an electrostatic actuator, a magnetostrictive element, and a heating element can be elements that the head 41 has.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system. It is a block diagram explaining the structure of a computer and a printer. FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the printer. FIG. 3B is a side view illustrating the configuration of the printer. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of the head. FIG. 4B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main part of the head. It is a figure explaining arrangement | positioning of a nozzle row. It is a figure explaining the some head control part which a head has. FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating a head control unit of a type having four types of dot formation data. FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating a signal selection unit attached to the head control unit for light cyan ink and light magenta ink. It is a figure explaining the head control part of a type in which dot formation data can be switched between 4 types and 6 types. 6 is a flowchart for explaining processing for generating print data. It is a flowchart explaining the content of a halftone process. It is a flowchart explaining the process performed at the time of printing. It is a figure explaining the drive signal produced | generated by a drive signal production | generation part. FIG. 13A is a diagram illustrating the drive pulse applied to the piezo element and the amount of ejected ink in each high-quality mode for each ink type and each dot formation data. FIG. 13B is a diagram illustrating the drive pulse applied to the piezo element and the amount of ejected ink in each high-speed mode for each ink type and each dot formation data. It is a figure which shows the area signal of the drive signal applied with black ink and yellow ink of a high image quality mode and a high-speed mode for every kind of dot. It is a figure which shows the area signal of the drive signal applied with the dark cyan ink dark magenta ink of a high speed mode for every kind of dot. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the halftone process in 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a drive signal generated by a drive signal generation unit in the second embodiment. FIG. 18A is a diagram for explaining the drive pulse applied to the piezo element and the amount of ejected ink for each ink type and each dot formation data in the high image quality mode. FIG. 18B is a diagram for explaining the drive pulse applied to the piezo element and the amount of ejected ink for each ink type and each dot formation data in the first high-speed mode. FIG. 18C is a diagram illustrating the drive pulse applied to the piezo element and the amount of ink ejected in the second high-speed mode for each ink type and each dot formation data. It is a figure which shows the area signal of the drive signal applied with black ink and yellow ink of a high image quality mode and a high-speed mode for every kind of dot. It is a figure which shows the area signal of the drive signal applied with the dark cyan ink dark magenta ink of a 1st high speed mode for every kind of dot. It is a figure which shows the area signal of the drive signal applied with the light cyan ink light magenta ink of a 2nd high speed mode for every kind of dot.

Explanation of symbols

1 printer, 20 paper transport mechanism, 21 paper feed roller, 22 transport motor,
23 transport roller, 24 platen, 25 paper discharge roller,
30 Carriage moving mechanism, 31 Carriage motor, 32 Guide shaft,
33 timing belt, 34 drive pulley, 35 idler pulley,
40 head units, 41 heads, 411 case, 411a accommodation room,
412 channel unit, 412a channel forming plate, 412b elastic plate,
412c nozzle plate, 412d pressure chamber, 412e nozzle communication port,
412f common ink chamber, 412g ink supply path, 412h support frame,
412i elastic film, 412j island, 413 piezo element unit,
413a piezoelectric element group, 413b bonding substrate, 413c element wiring board,
414 relay board, 50 drive signal generator, 60 detector group,
61 linear encoder, 62 rotary encoder, 63 paper detector,
64 paper width detector, 70 printer side controller, 71 interface unit,
72 CPU, 73 memory, 74 control unit,
81A first shift register, 81B second shift register,
81C third shift register, 82A first latch circuit,
82B second latch circuit, 82C third latch circuit, 83 control logic,
83a SP shift register, 83b pattern register, 84 decoder,
85A first switch, 85B second switch, 86A AND circuit,
86B AND circuit, 100 printing system, 110 computer,
111 Host-side controller, 112 interface unit,
113 CPU, 114 memory, 120 display device, 130 input device,
131 keyboard, 132 mouse, 140 recording and playback device,
141 flexible disk drive device,
142 Compact disk drive, S paper,
FD flexible disk, CD compact disk,
SI dot formation data, IC ink cartridge,
R (C) to R (LM) ink storage chamber, ICm cartridge side memory,
TM1 Memory side contact terminal, TM2 Carriage side contact terminal,
CTR controller board, CR carriage, HC head controller,
HC (C) Head control unit for dark cyan ink,
HC (M) Head control unit for dark magenta ink,
HC (K) Black ink head controller,
HC (Y) yellow ink head controller,
HC (LC) Light cyan ink head controller,
HC (LM) head controller for light magenta ink,
SSC (C) to SSC (LM) signal selection unit, FC flexible cable,
PZT piezo element, Nz nozzle, Nc dark cyan ink nozzle row,
Nm dark magenta ink nozzle row, Nk black ink nozzle row,
Ny yellow ink nozzle row, Nlc light cyan ink nozzle row,
Nlm light magenta ink nozzle row, COM drive signal,
COM_A first drive signal, SS11 first section signal,
SS12 second section signal, SS13 third section signal, SS31 first section signal,
SS32 second section signal, SS33 third section signal, SS34 fourth section signal,
COM_B second drive signal, SS21 first section signal,
SS22 second section signal, SS23 third section signal, SS41 first section signal,
SS42 second section signal, SS43 third section signal, SS44 fourth section signal,
PS1 first drive pulse, PS2 second drive pulse, PS3 third drive pulse,
PS4 4th drive pulse, PS5 5th drive pulse, PS6 6th drive pulse,
PS11 first drive pulse, PS12 second drive pulse,
PS13 third drive pulse, PS14 fourth drive pulse,
PS15 5th drive pulse, PS16 6th drive pulse,
PS17 7th drive pulse, PS18 8th drive pulse,
T1-T4 period, CLK clock, SI dot formation data,
q0 to q11 switch operation information, LAT latch signal,
CH_A first change signal, CH_B second change signal,
SM specified mode data

Claims (13)

A first print mode for printing using both dark ink and light ink;
A second printing mode for printing using only the dark ink;
Have
The maximum amount of dark ink used in the first print mode is equal to the maximum amount of dark ink used in the second print mode, and the dark ink used in the first print mode is the same. The ink amount of the minimum dot and the ink amount of the minimum dot of the dark ink used in the second printing mode are equal,
The types of dark ink dots of different sizes used in the first printing mode are:
The print control apparatus, wherein the size used in the second print mode is smaller than the types of different dark ink dots. The print control apparatus according to claim 1,
In printing that prioritizes image quality, the first print mode is used,
The printing control apparatus characterized by using the second printing mode in printing giving priority to speed. A printing device,
A drive signal generator for generating a drive signal;
A head for ejecting the dark ink and the light ink based on the drive signal;
The print control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the print control apparatus controls discharge of the dark ink and the light ink from the head;
A printing apparatus comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 3,
The drive signal generation unit outputs a plurality of drive pulses,
In the print control apparatus,
The dark ink is ejected by selecting the drive pulse according to dot formation data that defines the type of dark ink dot,
In the light ink, dot formation data defining the type of dot of the light ink is input to the first input terminal of the AND circuit, and a drive pulse corresponding to the light ink dot formation data output from the output terminal is generated. It is discharged by being selected,
The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein zero is input to a second input terminal of the AND circuit of the light ink when performing printing using the second print mode. The printing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein
A residual ink amount detection unit for detecting the residual ink amount of the dark ink and the residual ink amount of the light ink;
The print control device includes:
When the first print mode is determined as the print mode, and the remaining ink amount of the other of the dark ink and the light ink is less than the determination reference amount, the print mode is changed to the print mode. A printing apparatus that switches from a first printing mode to the second printing mode. The printing apparatus according to claim 5,
The head is
Other dark inks and other light inks used for stepwise dark and light printing of other colors are changed to dot gradation values determined from a plurality of types of dot gradation values based on the size of dots to be formed. According to the discharge,
The print control device includes:
In the second print mode, regardless of the remaining amount of the other dark ink and the other light ink, one of the other dark ink and the other light ink is used, and in the first print mode, A printing apparatus that performs printing with a larger number of dot types than the dark ink dot type used. The printing apparatus according to claim 6,
The dark ink and the light ink are:
One of cyan dark ink and light ink and magenta dark ink and light ink,
The other dark ink and the other light ink are:
The printing apparatus is the other of the cyan dark ink and light ink and the magenta dark ink and light ink. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 7,
The head is
A plurality of nozzle rows each having a plurality of nozzles from which ink is ejected are arranged in the moving direction of the head, and among the plurality of nozzle rows, the nozzle rows located at the end in the moving direction, A printing apparatus that discharges ink that is not used in the second printing mode. A printing apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 8,
The print control device includes:
The dark ink is used in the second print mode, and the difference in ink amount between a certain dot type and the next size dot type is determined as the certain dot type in the first print mode and the A printing apparatus characterized in that it is smaller than the difference in ink amount between the types of dots of the next size. A printing apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 9 ,
A drive signal generation unit that generates a plurality of drive signals in a certain period;
The head is
An element that performs an operation of discharging ink;
The print control device includes:
A signal applying unit that selects a necessary part from a plurality of the drive signals and applies the selected necessary part to the element, the signal applying part selecting the necessary part according to the predetermined printing mode. A printing apparatus characterized by that. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 10 ,
Having a mounting portion to which an ink storage container for storing ink is mounted;
The ink reservoir is
A case having a plurality of ink storage chambers, and a plurality of types of ink including dark ink and light ink used for gradation printing of a certain color and other inks, are provided in the corresponding ink storage chambers. A printing apparatus characterized by storing. Printing in one of a first print mode in which printing is performed using both dark ink and light ink, and a second print mode in which printing is performed using only the dark ink;
A printing method comprising:
The maximum amount of dark ink used in the first print mode is equal to the maximum amount of dark ink used in the second print mode, and the dark ink used in the first print mode is the same. The ink amount of the minimum dot and the ink amount of the minimum dot of the dark ink used in the second printing mode are equal,
The types of dots with different sizes included in printing in the first printing mode are:
A printing method, wherein the size included in printing in the second printing mode is smaller than the types of different dots. Printing in one of a first print mode in which printing is performed using both dark ink and light ink, and a second print mode in which printing is performed using only the dark ink;
A program for causing a printing apparatus to
The maximum amount of dark ink used in the first print mode is equal to the maximum amount of dark ink used in the second print mode, and the dark ink used in the first print mode is the same. The ink amount of the minimum dot and the ink amount of the minimum dot of the dark ink used in the second printing mode are equal,
The types of dots with different sizes included in printing in the first printing mode are:
A program characterized in that the size included in printing in the second printing mode is smaller than the types of different dots.

Images