JP5609212B2 - Liquid ejection apparatus and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a first liquid discharge head that discharges a first liquid that forms an image, a second liquid discharge head that discharges a second liquid that acts on the first liquid to aggregate or deposit components in the first liquid, and The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus having a liquid crystal display and a program for controlling the liquid ejection apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet printer including a recording head that discharges ink for forming an image onto a sheet and a processing liquid head that discharges a processing liquid that aggregates or deposits components in the ink is known (for example, , See Patent Document 1). In such a printer, before the ink is discharged from the recording head, the processing liquid is discharged from the processing liquid head, and the processing liquid lands on a position on the paper where the ink from the recording head lands. Accordingly, the processing liquid acts on the ink ejected from the recording head and landed on the paper, and the fixing of the ink is promoted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent image dots formed from ink from bleeding and improve image quality.

JP-A-9-300665

  When printing is performed in the printer as described above, the state of the processing liquid at the time when ink is ejected onto the paper becomes a problem. That is, as shown in FIG. 10A, when the ink is ejected onto the paper P, the processing liquid (indicated by shading in the figure) ejected to the ink landing position has permeated the paper P. In this case, the treatment liquid acts normally on the ink, and the ink is fixed in a state where the ink spreads on the paper P to a desired size. That is, an image dot having a desired size can be formed. On the other hand, as illustrated in FIG. 10B, when the processing liquid does not sufficiently permeate the paper P, the ink and the processing liquid in a droplet state aggregate on the surface of the paper P. At this time, since image dots that are darker than the desired density and smaller than the desired size are formed, there is a problem that white streaks are likely to occur in the image and the image quality is degraded.

  In particular, when a plurality of inks having different colors are superimposed on the same position on the paper (a secondary color is formed), the state of the processing liquid at the time when the largest amount of the plurality of inks is ejected Is a problem. That is, since the ink with the largest amount has relatively high visibility, if the image dots of the ink with the largest amount are not normally formed, the color developability of the formed image is lowered.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection apparatus and a program that can prevent the occurrence of white streaks and the decrease in color developability and prevent the image quality from deteriorating.

A liquid ejection apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a conveyance mechanism that conveys a recording medium in a conveyance direction, and a plurality of first liquid ejection heads that respectively eject a plurality of first colors of different colors that form an image on the recording medium. And discharging a second liquid that is positioned upstream of the plurality of first liquid discharge heads in the transport direction and that acts on the first liquid to aggregate or deposit components in the first liquid. A second liquid discharge head; image data storage means for storing image data; and the image data stored in the image data storage means such that image dots are formed by discharging the first liquid onto a recording medium. The second liquid is ejected to a plurality of unit areas on a recording medium including an image recording control unit that controls the plurality of first liquid ejection heads and an area where the image dots are formed. And a second liquid discharge data generating means for generating the discharge data of the second liquid, and the second liquid discharge head based on the discharge data of the second liquid generated by the second liquid discharge data generating means. Based on the image data stored in the image data storage means and the second liquid discharge control means for controlling the liquid, the first liquids of the plurality of colors discharged to the plurality of unit regions are discharged, respectively. And rank dividing means for dividing the rank into a plurality of ranks according to the amount. Each of the plurality of first liquid ejection heads is disposed at a different position in the transport direction, and the second liquid ejection data creation unit ranks each of the plurality of unit regions by the rank classification unit. first liquid classified most high amount rank among the plurality of colors first liquid which is, at the time when discharged into the unit area, to the highest amount often rank Ru discharged into the unit area The discharge data of the second liquid is created so that the entire amount of the second liquid corresponding to the amount of the first liquid to be classified has permeated the recording medium.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for a plurality of different colors which are arranged at different positions in the transport direction and a transport mechanism for transporting the recording medium in the transport direction, and forms an image on the recording medium. A plurality of first liquid ejection heads that respectively eject one liquid, and are located upstream of the plurality of first liquid ejection heads in the transport direction and act on the first liquid in the first liquid. And a second liquid discharge head for discharging a second liquid for aggregating or precipitating the components. And based on the image data storage means for storing image data and the image data stored in the image data storage means so that the first liquid is ejected onto a recording medium to form image dots, Image recording control means for controlling a plurality of first liquid ejection heads and the second liquid so that the second liquid is ejected to a plurality of unit areas on a recording medium including an area where the image dots are formed. A second liquid ejection data creating means for creating liquid ejection data; and a second liquid ejection head for controlling the second liquid ejection head based on the ejection data for the second liquid created by the second liquid ejection data creating means. Based on the liquid discharge control means and the image data stored in the image data storage means, the first liquids of the plurality of colors discharged to the plurality of unit regions are discharged. The computer is caused to function as a rank dividing unit that ranks into a plurality of ranks according to the amount, and the second liquid ejection data creating unit ranks the plurality of colors that are ranked by the rank dividing unit for each of the plurality of unit regions. at the time the first liquid most amount of the first liquid is classified as high rank, is discharged to the unit area, the fall into the most high amount ranks Ru discharged into the unit area 1 The ejection data of the second liquid is created so that the entire amount of the second liquid corresponding to the amount of the liquid is infiltrated into the recording medium.

  According to these configurations, it is possible to cause the second liquid to normally act on the first liquid having a relatively large discharge amount and high visibility among the plurality of colors of the first liquid discharged to the unit region. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of image quality by suppressing the generation of white stripes and the decrease in color developability.

In a liquid ejection apparatus according to a second aspect , in the liquid ejection apparatus according to the first aspect , the second liquid ejection data creation means includes initial data creation means for creating initial data of the ejection data of the second liquid; Second liquid discharge data changing means for changing the initial data created by the initial data creating means, wherein the second liquid discharge data changing means is configured to provide the initial data creating means for each of the unit areas. The second liquid is ejected on the basis of the initial data created in step (a), and the first liquid classified into the rank with the largest amount is ejected to the unit area when the first liquid is ejected to the unit area. When the entire amount of the second liquid does not soak into the recording medium, the initial data relating to the unit area is changed.

  According to this configuration, by changing the initial data of the discharge data of the second liquid by the second liquid discharge data changing unit, when the first liquid classified into the rank with the largest amount is discharged to the unit region, The entire amount of the second liquid can be soaked into the recording medium.

In a liquid ejection apparatus according to a third aspect , in the liquid ejection apparatus according to the second aspect , the initial data creation means creates the initial data based on the image data stored in the image data storage means.

  According to this configuration, the discharge amount of the second liquid can be adjusted as necessary in consideration of the image data. Therefore, useless use of the second liquid can be prevented.

In a liquid ejection apparatus according to a fourth aspect , in the liquid ejection apparatus according to the second or third aspect , the second liquid ejection data changing means changes the ejection data of the second liquid relating to the unit region. When the discharge data of the second liquid relating to the adjacent region that is the unit region adjacent to the unit region is data that does not discharge the second liquid, the second liquid is placed in the adjacent region. The discharge data of the second liquid is changed so as to be discharged.

  According to this configuration, the second liquid discharge data changing unit causes the second liquid discharge data to reduce the discharge amount of the second liquid so that the second liquid discharged to the unit area soaks into the recording medium. Even when the change is made, it is possible to suppress the bleeding of the first liquid landing on the unit area by the second liquid discharged to the adjacent area. Further, the color of the first liquid discharged to the unit area is improved by the second liquid that oozes from the adjacent area to the unit area.

In a liquid ejection apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid ejection apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the second liquid ejection data creation means includes the image that forms an edge of an image related to the image data. The ejection data of the second liquid in the unit area including dots is created.

  Disturbances in image quality tend to stand out at the edge of the image. Therefore, as described above, it is effective to apply the present invention to a unit region including image dots that constitute an edge.

A liquid ejection apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the invention is the liquid ejection apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprising image data changing means for changing the image data stored in the image data storage means. And the image data changing unit is configured so that the first liquid classified into the rank with the largest amount is discharged to the unit area before the first liquid classified into the rank with the largest amount. When the first liquid relating to the color is ejected to the unit region, the lightest amount of the first liquid relating to a color other than the first liquid classified into the rank with the largest amount is the smallest amount. The image data is changed so as to increase the amount of the first liquid that is classified into a rank having a large number.

  According to this configuration, there is a possibility that the second liquid does not soak into the recording medium when the first liquid relating to the color other than the first liquid classified into the rank with the largest amount reaches the unit area. When the first liquid is ejected onto the second liquid that has not soaked into the recording medium, the density of image dots formed by the first liquid increases. This problem becomes more prominent as the brightness of the first liquid is lower. Therefore, the concentration balance can be maintained by increasing the amount of the first liquid classified into the rank with the largest amount.

In a liquid ejection apparatus according to a seventh aspect , in the liquid ejection apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the second liquid ejection data creation means is classified into the rank with the largest amount. When there are a plurality of liquids, the second liquid discharged into the unit region at the time when the first liquid having the lowest brightness of the first liquid is discharged into the unit region among the plurality of first liquids. The ejection data is created so that the entire amount of the liquid soaks into the recording medium.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to cause the second liquid to normally act on the first liquid with low brightness and high visibility. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the deterioration of image quality by suppressing the generation of white stripes and the decrease in color developability.

A liquid discharge apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the liquid discharge apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the first liquid preliminary discharge data storage means stores preliminary discharge data related to the preliminary discharge of the first liquid. And based on the preliminary ejection data stored in the first liquid preliminary ejection data storage means so that the first liquid is ejected from the first liquid ejection head and flushing dots are formed on the recording medium. And a flushing control means for controlling the first liquid ejection head, wherein the second liquid ejection data creation means forms the first liquid and the image dots that form the flushing dots in the unit area. When the first liquid is ejected, when the first liquid forming the image dots is ejected to the unit area, the first liquid is landed in the unit area. The total amount of the second liquid as is steeped in a recording medium, creates the ejection data.

  According to this configuration, even when flushing dots are formed, the second liquid is ejected in accordance with the timing of forming the image dots, so that the image quality of the image dots can be improved.

  As described above, in the liquid ejection apparatus and program of the present invention, the second liquid is normally used as the first liquid with a relatively large ejection amount and high visibility among the plurality of colors of the first liquid ejected to the unit region. Can act. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of image quality by suppressing the generation of white stripes and the decrease in color developability.

1 is a schematic side view showing an overall configuration of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the head main body shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a region surrounded by an alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 2. It is sectional drawing which follows the IV-IV line of FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the control part shown in FIG. (A) is a figure which shows a part of image data memorize | stored in the image data memory | storage part shown in FIG. 5, (b) is a figure which shows the state by which the image data shown to (a) was divided | segmented by the data division part. (C) is a diagram showing a state in which the image data shown in (b) is ranked by the ranking unit. (A) is a figure which shows a part of initial data created by the initial data creation part shown in FIG. 5, (b) is a figure which shows the state by which the initial data shown in (a) was changed by the change part. Yes, (c) is a diagram showing the data shown in (b) and the data in the adjacent region of the data, and (d) is a diagram showing a state in which the data in the adjacent region shown in (c) is changed by the changing unit. It is. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the procedure of the initial data creation process performed in the initial data creation part shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the procedure of the change process performed in the change part shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a state of a treatment liquid and a state of ink that has landed on a sheet when ink is landed on the sheet.

  A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet printer 101 according to the present embodiment has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 101a. Within the casing 101a, five heads 1 and a sheet P are transported from the top to the bottom (see FIG. 1). 1, a transport mechanism 16 that transports the paper from the left to the right), a paper feed unit 101b that feeds the paper P, and a tank unit 101c that stores ink. At positions that do not interfere with these mechanism units, a control unit 100 that controls the operation of each mechanism unit is arranged. In addition, a paper discharge unit 15 for discharging the paper P is provided on the top plate of the housing 101a.

  Four of the five heads 1 are recording heads 1a that respectively eject black, cyan, magenta, or yellow ink (first liquid), and the remaining one ejects processing liquid (second liquid). This is the treatment liquid discharge head 1b. The recording head 1a and the treatment liquid discharge head 1b have substantially the same configuration. The processing liquid discharge head 1b is disposed upstream of the four recording heads 1a in the transport direction. Here, as the treatment liquid, a pigment liquid that agglomerates the pigment dye is used for the pigment ink, and a treatment liquid that precipitates the dye dye is used for the dye ink. The material of the treatment liquid can be appropriately selected from liquids containing polyvalent metal salts such as cationic polymers and magnesium salts. When the ink lands on the area of the paper P on which such a treatment liquid has been applied in advance, the polyvalent metal salt or the like acts on the dye or pigment that is the colorant of the ink, and the insoluble or hardly soluble metal composite or the like aggregates or Formed by precipitation. As a result, the penetrability of the adhering ink into the paper P is reduced, and the ink is easily fixed on the paper P.

  All of the five heads 1 have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the main scanning direction, and are arranged and fixed along the transport direction of the paper P. That is, the printer 101 is a line type printer. In the present embodiment, the main scanning direction is a direction orthogonal to the transport direction and along the horizontal plane.

  Each head 1 has a head body 2 in which a plurality of ejection ports 108 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) are formed. The ejection port 108 opens to the ejection surface 2a, which is the lower surface of the head body 2, and the ejection surface 2a faces the conveyed paper P with a predetermined interval. Ink or processing liquid is discharged from each discharge port 108 under the control of the control unit 100.

  The transport mechanism 16 includes two belt rollers 6 and 7, a transport belt 8, a tension roller 10, and a platen 18. The conveyor belt 8 is an endless belt wound between both rollers 6 and 7, and tension is applied by a tension roller 10. The platen 18 is disposed in the inner region of the conveyance belt 8 and supports the conveyance belt 8 at a position facing the head 1 with a suitable interval for image formation. The belt roller 7 is a driving roller that is driven to rotate clockwise in FIG. 1 by a motor (not shown), and causes the conveyor belt 8 to travel. The belt roller 6 is a driven roller that rotates as the conveyor belt 8 travels. Accordingly, the transport mechanism 16 can transport the paper P placed on the transport belt 8 in the transport direction.

  The paper feed unit 101b is detachably arranged with respect to the housing 101a, and includes a paper feed tray 11 and a paper feed roller 12. The paper feed tray 11 has a box shape opened upward, and stores a plurality of paper sheets P in a stacked state. The paper feed roller 12 sends out the paper P at the uppermost position of the paper feed tray 11 under the control of the control unit 100. The fed paper P is sent to the transport mechanism 16 by the feed roller pair 14 along the guides 13a and 13b.

  The tank unit 101c houses four ink tanks 17a and one treatment liquid tank 17b. The ink tank 17a and the treatment liquid tank 17b are detachably attached to the tank unit 101c. Each ink tank 17a stores black, cyan, magenta, and yellow ink, and the ink is supplied to the corresponding recording head 1a via an ink tube (not shown). Similarly, the processing liquid is stored in the processing liquid tank 17b, and the processing liquid is supplied to the processing liquid discharge head 1b.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a conveyance path along a black arrow is formed inside the printer 101. As a whole, the path is an S-shaped path that is reversed left and right. When the paper P fed from the lower paper feeding unit 101b passes through the front of the five heads 1, the processing liquid and ink are sequentially ejected by the control of the control unit 100, and a desired color image is formed on the upper surface. Is done. The paper P on which the image is formed is sent out from the transport mechanism 16. Further, the paper P is conveyed above the feed roller pair 28 along the guides 29a and 29b, and is discharged to the paper discharge unit 15 from the discharge port 22 formed in the upper part of the housing 101a.

  Next, the head 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 3, for convenience of explanation, the pressure chamber 110, the aperture 112, and the discharge port 108 that are to be drawn by broken lines below the actuator unit 21 are drawn by solid lines.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the head 1 has a head body 2 that is a laminated body in which four actuator units 21 are fixed to the upper surface 9 a of the flow path unit 9. Although not shown, the head 1 is a flexible printed wiring that supplies a drive signal to the actuator unit 21 and a reservoir unit that stores ink (or processing liquid) supplied to the flow path unit 9 in addition to the head body 2. A board (Flexible Printed Circuit: FPC), a control board for controlling a driver IC mounted on the FPC, and the like are included.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the flow path unit 9 is a laminated body in which a plurality of metal plates made of stainless steel are aligned with each other. In the flow path unit 9, there are many manifold channels 105 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) to the sub manifold flow path 105a, and from the outlet of the sub manifold flow path 105a to the discharge port 108 through the aperture 112 and the pressure chamber 110. The individual ink flow paths 109 are formed. The actuator unit 21 includes a plurality of actuators corresponding to the pressure chambers 110, and has a function of selectively giving ejection energy to the ink in the pressure chambers 110.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a total of ten ink supply ports 105 b that correspond to the ink outflow channels of the reservoir unit and communicate with one end of the manifold channel 105 are opened on the upper surface 9 a of the channel unit 9. doing. The lower surface of the flow path unit 9 is a discharge surface 2a, and a large number of discharge ports 108 are arranged in a matrix. The ejection ports 108 are arranged at an interval of 600 dpi, which is the resolution in the main scanning direction with respect to the main scanning direction.

  The head 1 having the head main body 2 configured as described above is configured such that the ink or the processing liquid from the ejection port 108 lands on the paper P at an interval of 600 dpi in the sub-scanning direction under the control of the head control unit 51 described later. In addition, the discharge interval of the ink or treatment liquid is controlled. That is, in the present embodiment, the resolution in the main scanning direction and the resolution in the sub scanning direction are both 600 dpi, and the paper P is partitioned in a grid pattern with an interval of 1/600 inch in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction. A plurality of dot areas are defined.

  Next, the control unit 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The control unit 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a control program executed by the CPU, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) that stores data used for these programs in a rewritable manner, and data when the program is executed. And a RAM (Random Access Memory) for temporarily storing. The control program of the present invention is stored in various recording media such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a CD-ROM, and a memory card, and is installed in the EEPROM from these recording media. Then, when the control program is executed by the CPU, each functional unit constituting the control unit 100 shown in FIG. 5 is realized. Note that the control program recorded on the recording medium may be directly executable by the control unit 100, or may be executable only after being installed in the EEPROM. Further, it may be encrypted or compressed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 100 includes a head control unit 51, an image data storage unit 52, a preliminary ejection data storage unit 53, a precoat data storage unit 54, an image data analysis unit 55, an image data change unit 56, and precoat data. A creation unit 57, a lightness storage unit 58, a head position storage unit 59, and a conveyance control unit 60 are included.

  The conveyance control unit 60 controls the paper feeding unit 101b, each pair of feed rollers 14 and 28, and the conveyance mechanism 16 so that the paper P is conveyed in the conveyance direction. The brightness storage unit 58 stores information that associates the four recording heads 1a with the brightness of the ink ejected from each recording head 1a. In this embodiment, it is stored that the two recording heads 1a ejecting black and cyan inks have low brightness, and the two recording heads 1a ejecting magenta and yellow inks each have high brightness.

  The head position storage unit 59 stores information regarding the arrangement of the five heads 1. In the present embodiment, as described above, the processing liquid ejection head 1b is located on the upstream side of the four recording heads 1a in the transport direction. The four recording heads 1a are arranged so that the recording heads 1a that discharge black, cyan, magenta, and yellow inks are arranged in order from the upstream side in the transport direction. That is, the head position storage unit 59 stores that the heads 1 that discharge the processing liquid, black, cyan, magenta, yellow processing liquid or ink are arranged in order from the upstream side in the transport direction.

  The head controller 51 controls the driving of the actuators included in the actuator unit 21 provided in each head 1, and includes a recording head controller 51a that controls the actuator of the recording head 1a and the treatment liquid ejection head 1b. A treatment liquid head controller 51b for controlling the actuator is provided.

  The recording head control unit 51a controls the ejection of ink from the recording head 1a based on the image data stored in the image data storage unit 52, which will be described in detail later, and the preliminary ejection data stored in the preliminary ejection data storage unit 53. To do. That is, the recording head control unit 51a functions as an image recording control unit that controls the recording head 1a based on image data and a flushing control unit that controls the recording head 1a based on preliminary ejection data. The processing liquid head control unit 51b controls the discharge of the processing liquid from the processing liquid discharge head 1b based on precoat data stored in the precoat data storage unit 54, which will be described in detail later. In the present embodiment, the recording head control unit 51a and the processing liquid head control unit 51b set the amount of ink or processing liquid ejected from each head 1 to zero, a small droplet (5 pl), a medium droplet (15 pl), Adjust in 4 stages of large drops (30 pl).

  The image data storage unit 52 stores image data relating to an image recorded on the paper P transferred from a PC (Personal Computer) connected to the inkjet printer 101 or the like. The image data indicates the amount of ink (any one of four levels of zero, small droplet, medium droplet, and large droplet) ejected from each recording head 1a to each dot area partitioned on the paper P. That is, as shown in FIG. 6A, the image data storage unit 52 stores four image data relating to the four recording heads 1a. Note that the four pieces of image data shown in FIG. 6A indicate image data relating to an image formed in the same area on the paper P (for 16 dot areas). The description of small, medium, and large in FIG. 6A means that small, medium, and large inks are ejected to the dot area. This means that no ink is ejected to a region where is not described.

  The preliminary ejection data storage unit 53 stores preliminary ejection data for performing preliminary ejection for ejecting thickened ink in the vicinity of the ejection port 108 of the recording head 1a so that flushing dots are formed on the paper P. The preliminary ejection data may be any data as long as the plurality of ejection ports 108 of the recording head 1a can prevent the ejection ports 108 that do not continuously eject ink from being discharged for a predetermined time or longer. That is, for example, it is sufficient if ink is ejected from each ejection port 108 at a constant cycle. In addition, when the recording head control unit 51a controls the ejection of ink from the recording head 1a based on the image data stored in the image data storage unit 52, the ejection port 108 whose pause time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time is provided. If present, the ink may be ejected such that the pause time of the ejection port 108 is less than a predetermined time.

  The precoat data storage unit 54 stores precoat data that is discharge data of the processing liquid discharged from the processing liquid discharge head 1b. The precoat data stored in the precoat data storage unit 54 is created by a precoat data creation unit 57 described in detail later.

  The image data analysis unit 55 includes a data division unit 55a and a rank division unit 55b. As shown in FIG. 6B, the data dividing unit 55a divides the image data stored in the image data storage unit 52 for each unit area composed of 4-dot areas. As shown in FIG. 6C, the rank dividing unit 55b is configured to discharge, for each unit region divided by the data dividing unit 55a, a plurality of colors of ink ejected to the unit region. Rank according to. Specifically, rank 4 when the amount discharged to the unit area is zero, rank 3 when it is more than zero and 20 pl or less, rank 2 when it is more than 20 pl and 40 pl or less, If more than 40 pl, rank 1 is assumed. That is, the higher the amount of ink ejected, the higher the rank. (Rank 1 is the highest rank.)

  For example, in the unit area located at the upper left in the image data of the recording head 1a for ejecting black ink shown in FIG. 6B, there are two dot areas for ejecting medium drops (15 pl), large drops ( One dot region from which 30 pl) is ejected is included. Therefore, the total amount of black ink ejected to this unit area is 60 pl. Therefore, the black ink is classified into rank 1 in this unit area.

  The image data changing unit 56 stores the image data storage unit 52 in the image data storage unit 52 based on the ranking results by the ranking unit 55b of the image data analysis unit 55 and the information stored in the lightness storage unit 58 and the head position storage unit 59, respectively. Change stored image data. Specifically, the image data changing unit 56 ejects ink of the color classified into the highest rank based on the result of ranking by the ranking unit 55b and the information stored in the head position storage unit 59. Before the detection, a unit region is detected in which ink other than the ink of the color classified into the highest rank is ejected.

  That is, for example, considering the unit region located in the lower right of FIG. 6C, the ink classified into the highest rank is the yellow ink classified into rank 1. In addition, cyan ink classified as rank 2 is also ejected into this unit area. Here, according to the information stored in the head position storage unit 59, the recording head 1a that discharges cyan ink is positioned upstream of the recording head 1a that discharges yellow ink in the transport direction. That is, cyan ink is ejected before yellow ink is ejected. The image data changing unit 56 detects such a unit area.

  Then, the image data changing unit 56, based on the information stored in the lightness storage unit 58, when the lightness of ink other than the color ink classified as the highest rank is low in the detected unit area. The image data is changed so as to increase the amount of ink of the color classified into the highest rank. That is, for example, in the unit region located in the lower right part of FIG. 6C, cyan ink, which is ink other than yellow ink classified as the highest rank, depends on the information stored in the lightness storage unit 58. And the brightness is low. Therefore, the image data changing unit 56 changes the image data so as to increase the amount of yellow ink ejected to the unit area.

  The precoat data creation unit 57 is created by the initial data creation unit 57a based on the initial data creation unit 57a that creates the initial data of the precoat data, and the information stored in the lightness storage unit 58 and the head position storage unit 59, respectively. And a changing unit 57b for changing the initial data.

  The initial data creation unit 57 a creates initial data from the four image data applied to the four recording heads 1 a stored in the image data storage unit 52. Specifically, based on the image data divided and ranked by the image data analysis unit 55, the ink of the color classified into the highest rank is selected for each unit region. Then, the discharge amount of the processing liquid to the unit region is determined according to the discharge amount of the selected color ink to the unit region.

  In the present embodiment, when the ink of the selected color is classified into rank 1, a large droplet of processing liquid is classified into each dot area in the unit area. When the medium droplet treatment liquid is classified into rank 3 in each dot area in the area, the small droplet treatment liquid is ejected to each dot area in the unit area and classified into rank 4. In some cases, initial data is generated so that the processing liquid is not discharged to the unit area.

  That is, in the unit area located in the upper left of FIG. 6C, black ink is classified into rank 1, magenta ink is classified into rank 3, and cyan and yellow ink are ranked into rank 4. It is classified. That is, the black ink is classified into the highest rank in this unit area. Therefore, for this unit area, black ink classified as rank 1 is selected. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7A, initial data is created so that a large droplet of processing liquid is discharged to each dot area of the unit area.

  Similarly, in the unit region located in the upper right part of FIG. 6C, yellow ink classified as rank 2 is selected, and in the unit area located in the lower left part, cyan and cyan classified as rank 1 are selected. Yellow ink is selected, and in the unit area located at the lower right, yellow ink classified as rank 1 is selected. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7A, a medium droplet is ejected to each dot region in the unit region located in the upper right portion, and a large droplet in the unit region located in the lower left portion and the lower right portion. Initial data is created.

  The changing unit 57b changes the initial data created by the initial data creating unit 57a. More specifically, for each unit region, the processing liquid is ejected based on the initial data, and the processing liquid ejected to the unit region when the color ink classified into the highest rank is ejected to the unit region. When the total amount of the liquid does not soak into the paper P, the discharge amount of the processing liquid to the unit area in the initial data is changed to the amount soaking into the paper P. When there are a plurality of inks of the color classified into the highest rank, the ink with the lowest lightness among the plurality of inks is considered based on the information stored in the lightness storage unit 58. That is, when the lowest amount of light ink is ejected to a unit area and the entire amount of the processing liquid ejected to the unit area does not soak into the paper P, the initial data relating to the unit area is changed.

  Here, the total amount of the processing liquid permeates the paper P means that the ink spreads to a desired size when the ink is ejected onto the processing liquid that has landed on the paper P. That is, after the processing liquid is discharged onto the paper P, an attempt to discharge the ink onto the processing liquid that has landed on the paper P is repeatedly performed while gradually decreasing the discharge amount of the processing liquid, and the ink is discharged onto the processing liquid. When the diameter of the dots formed by the ink becomes constant, it can be determined that the entire amount of the processing liquid has permeated the paper P when the ink is ejected. That is, when the amount of the treatment liquid is large and the entire amount does not soak into the paper P when the ink is ejected, the ink ejected on the treatment liquid cannot be sufficiently spread and formed. The dot diameter is small (see FIG. 10B). Then, as the amount of the treatment liquid decreases, the diameter of the formed dots gradually increases, and when the total amount of the treatment liquid reaches the amount soaking into the paper P, the formed dot diameter becomes the maximum (FIG. 10A )reference). Therefore, the amount of the treatment liquid at this time is the amount that permeates the paper P.

  In the present embodiment, the amount of the processing liquid that permeates the paper P when the black ink is ejected is a small droplet, and the amount of the processing liquid that permeates the paper P when the cyan ink is ejected is a medium droplet. When the magenta and yellow inks are ejected, the amount of the processing liquid that permeates the paper P is a large droplet. That is, the closer the recording head 1a is to the processing liquid ejection head 1b, the shorter the time from when the processing liquid is ejected to the paper P until the ink is ejected, so the amount of the processing liquid that permeates the paper P decreases.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, in the unit area located at the upper left, a large droplet of processing liquid is discharged to each dot area. Further, as shown in FIG. 6C, in this unit area, the black ink is classified into the highest rank. Here, as described above, since the amount of the processing liquid that permeates the paper P when the black ink is discharged is a small droplet, when a large droplet of the processing liquid is discharged to this unit area, When the ink is ejected, the entire amount of the processing liquid does not soak into the paper P. Therefore, the changing unit 57b changes the initial data relating to the unit area so that the droplet treatment liquid is ejected to each dot area as shown in FIG. 7B.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7A, in the unit area located at the lower left, a large droplet of processing liquid is discharged to each dot area. Also, as shown in FIG. 6C, in this unit area, cyan and yellow inks are classified into the highest rank, and cyan and yellow inks have the lowest lightness. There is no ink. Here, as described above, since the amount of the processing liquid that permeates the paper P when the cyan ink is ejected is a medium droplet, when a large droplet of the processing liquid is ejected to this unit area, When the ink is ejected, the entire amount of the processing liquid does not soak into the paper P. Therefore, the changing unit 57b changes the initial data relating to the unit area so that the medium droplet processing liquid is discharged to each dot area as shown in FIG. 7B.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7A, a medium droplet is ejected to each dot region in the unit region located in the upper right portion, and a large droplet in the unit region located in the lower right portion. Further, as shown in FIG. 6C, in these unit areas, yellow ink is classified as the highest rank. Here, as described above, when the yellow ink is ejected, the amount of the processing liquid that permeates the paper P is a large droplet, and therefore, when the middle droplet or the large droplet processing liquid is ejected to these unit areas. Even when the yellow ink is ejected, the entire amount of the treatment liquid permeates the paper P. Therefore, the initial data is not changed by the changing unit 57b for these unit areas.

  Further, the changing unit 57b is a case where the initial data created by the initial data creating unit 57a is changed, and when the processing liquid is not discharged to the adjacent region which is a unit region adjacent to the changed unit region, The data is changed so that the processing liquid is discharged to the adjacent area. That is, the two unit areas indicated by diagonal lines in FIG. 7C are unit areas in which the initial data is changed so that the amount of the processing liquid is reduced. And as shown in FIG.7 (c), a process liquid is not discharged to the unit area | region adjacent to the left of the unit area | region in which these changes were performed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7D, the changing unit 57b changes the data so that the processing liquid is discharged to the dot area adjacent to the unit area where the change is made in the adjacent unit area. In the present embodiment, a small droplet of processing liquid is discharged to each of these dot areas.

  Next, an example of a processing procedure when precoat data is created by the precoat data creation unit 57 will be described with reference to FIGS. Prior to this processing procedure, image data is stored in the image data storage unit 52, and the image data analysis unit 55 divides the image data and ranks the divided areas.

  When creating precoat data, first, initial data creation processing (see FIG. 8) performed by the initial data creation unit 57a is started. In the initial data creation process, first, based on the image data divided and ranked by the image data analysis unit 55, the ink of the color classified into the highest rank is selected for a certain unit area ( Step S1). Next, in accordance with the discharge amount of the selected color ink to the unit region, the discharge amount of the processing liquid to the unit region is determined (step S2). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the discharge amount of the processing liquid has been determined for all the unit areas (step S3). If there is a unit area for which the discharge amount of the processing liquid is not yet determined (step S3: NO), the process returns to the above-described step S1 and the ink of the color classified into the highest rank for the next unit area. Make a selection. On the other hand, when it is determined that the discharge amount of the processing liquid in all the unit areas has been determined (step S3: YES), the initial data creation process ends.

  Subsequent to the initial data creation process, a modification process (see FIG. 9) performed by the modification unit 57b is started. In the changing process, first, the ink of the color classified into the highest rank is selected for a certain unit area (step S11). Next, it is determined whether there are a plurality of inks selected in step S11 (step S12). If there are a plurality of selected inks (step S12: YES), the ink having the lowest lightness is selected from the inks selected in step S11 (step S13). On the other hand, when the number of inks selected in step S11 is one (step S12: NO), the above step S13 is omitted and the process proceeds to step S14.

  Subsequently, for the unit area under consideration, whether or not the amount of the processing liquid in the initial data created in the initial data creation process is the amount that permeates the paper P when the selected ink is ejected. Determination is made (step S14). If it is determined that the amount is not soaked (step S14: NO), the initial data is changed so as to be the soaked amount (step S15). On the other hand, if it is determined that the amount is soaked (step S14: YES), the above-described step S15 is omitted and the process proceeds to step S16.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the above-described steps S11 to S14 have been performed for all unit regions (step S16). If there is a unit area that has not been processed yet (step S16: NO), the process returns to the above-described step S11, and the ink of the color classified into the highest rank is selected for the next unit area. . On the other hand, when it is determined that the processing for all the unit areas has been completed (step S16: YES), the area where the processing liquid is not discharged to the adjacent area adjacent to the unit area where the initial data is changed in step S15 It is determined whether or not there is (step S17).

  If there is an adjacent area where the processing liquid is not discharged (step S17: YES), the data is changed so that the processing liquid is discharged to the dot area adjacent to the unit area changed in the adjacent area ( Step S18). On the other hand, when there is no adjacent region to which the processing liquid is not discharged (step S17: NO), the changing process is terminated. The data at the time when the changing process is completed is precoat data and is stored in the precoat data storage unit 54.

  As described above, in the inkjet printer 101 of the present embodiment, the rank classification unit 55b ranks each unit area in the image data according to the amount of ink of a plurality of colors ejected to the unit area. Then, when the precoat data creating unit 57 ejects the ink of the color classified into the highest rank (rank with the largest amount of ink to be ejected) for each unit area into the unit area, Precoat data, which is discharge data of the processing liquid, is created so that the entire amount of discharged processing liquid permeates the paper P. Therefore, it is possible to cause the treatment liquid to normally operate on the ink having a relatively large discharge amount and high visibility among the inks of the plurality of colors discharged to the unit region. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of image quality by suppressing the generation of white stripes and the decrease in color developability.

  Further, in the inkjet printer 101 of the present embodiment, the precoat data creation unit 57 creates an initial data creation unit 57a that creates initial data of precoat data, and a change unit 57b that changes the initial data created by the initial data creation unit 57a. And have. Then, the change unit 57b discharges the processing liquid to the unit region based on the initial data created by the initial data creation unit 57a for each unit region, and the ink of the color classified in the highest rank is displayed in the unit region. When the entire amount of the processing liquid discharged to the unit area does not soak into the paper P, the initial data relating to the unit area is changed. Therefore, by changing the initial data by the changing unit 57b, it is possible to make the entire amount of the processing liquid soak into the paper P when the ink classified into the rank with the largest amount is ejected to the unit region.

  Further, in the ink jet printer 101 of the present embodiment, the initial data creation unit 57 a of the precoat data creation unit 57 creates initial data based on the image data stored in the image data storage unit 52. Therefore, the discharge amount of the processing liquid can be adjusted as necessary in consideration of the image data. Therefore, useless use of the second liquid can be prevented.

  Further, in the ink jet printer 101 of the present embodiment, the changing unit 57b of the precoat data creating unit 57 causes the processing liquid to flow in the adjacent area when the processing liquid is not discharged to the adjacent area adjacent to the unit area where the initial data is changed. Change the data so that it is dispensed. Therefore, even when the changing unit 57b changes the initial data so as to reduce the amount of the processing liquid so that the entire amount of the processing liquid discharged to the unit area soaks into the paper P, the changing part 57b is discharged to the adjacent area. With the treatment liquid, it is possible to suppress bleeding of ink landing on the unit area. Further, the color of the ink ejected to the unit area is improved by the treatment liquid that oozes from the adjacent area to the unit area.

  In addition, in the ink jet printer 101 of the present embodiment, the image data changing unit 56 uses a color other than the ink of the color classified in the highest rank before the ink of the color classified in the highest rank is ejected to the unit area. A unit region in which the ink is discharged is detected. Then, in the detected unit area, when the lightness of the ink other than the ink of the color classified as the highest rank is low, the image data is changed so as to increase the amount of the ink of the color classified as the highest rank To do. When ink other than the ink classified as the highest rank lands on the unit area, there is a possibility that the entire amount of the processing liquid does not soak into the paper P. When ink is ejected onto the processing liquid that has not soaked in the paper P, the ink and the processing liquid in a droplet state aggregate on the surface of the paper P, and the density of image dots formed by the ink increases. . The lower the ink brightness, the more prominent this problem. Accordingly, the density balance can be maintained by increasing the amount of ink classified into the highest rank.

  Further, in the inkjet printer 101 of the present embodiment, the precoat data creation unit 57 has the lowest lightness among the plurality of inks when there are a plurality of inks of the color classified into the highest rank for a certain unit area. The precoat data is created so that the entire amount of the processing liquid ejected to the unit area has permeated the paper P when the ink is ejected to the unit area. Therefore, it is possible to cause the treatment liquid to normally act on ink with low brightness and high visibility. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the deterioration of image quality by suppressing the generation of white stripes and the decrease in color developability.

  Further, the ink jet printer 101 according to the present embodiment includes a preliminary ejection data storage unit 53 that stores preliminary ejection data for performing preliminary ejection of the recording head 1a. The recording head control unit 51a includes the image data. Then, the recording head 1a is controlled based on the preliminary ejection data. Then, the precoat data creation unit 57 does not consider the preliminary ejection data, and at the time when the ink of the color classified in the highest rank in the image data is ejected to the unit area, the precoat data creation unit 57 of the processing liquid ejected to the unit area Pre-coating data is created so that the entire amount permeates the paper P. That is, the pre-coat data is obtained when the ink for forming the flushing dots in the unit area and the ink for forming the image dots are ejected at the time when the ink for forming the image dots is ejected to the unit area. It is created so that the entire amount of the processing liquid ejected to the unit area soaks into the paper P. Therefore, even when flushing dots are formed, the processing liquid is ejected in accordance with the timing of forming the image dots, so that the image quality of the image dots can be improved.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design changes can be made as long as they are described in the claims. Is.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the initial data creation unit 57a creates the initial data of the precoat data based on the image data, and the change unit 57b is highest when the processing liquid is ejected based on the initial data. The case where the precoat data is created by changing the initial data of the unit area in which the entire amount of the processing liquid does not soak into the paper P when the ink of the color classified in the rank is discharged to the unit area has been described. Is not limited. That is, precoating data may be created by changing the initial data to data such that the processing liquid is uniformly ejected onto the entire sheet P. Further, it may be determined by the discharge amount itself without being classified into ranks. That is, innumerable subdivision ranks may be used.

  The precoat data creation unit 57 may not include the initial data creation unit 57a and the change unit 57b. That is, for example, for the four types of ink ejected from the four recording heads 1a, the amount of processing liquid that permeates the paper P immediately before the time when the ink is ejected (the maximum amount that permeates the paper P when the ink is ejected). The amount of the processing liquid is determined in advance. Then, for each unit area, the ink of the color classified into the highest rank (or the ink classified into the highest rank and having the lowest lightness) is selected, and the sheet P is printed immediately before the ink is ejected. The amount of the processing liquid that permeates into the unit area may be determined as the amount of the processing liquid discharged to the unit area, and the precoat data may be created. That is, in the unit area located at the upper left in FIG. 6D, immediately before the time when the black ink classified as the highest rank is ejected, the unit area located at the lower left becomes the highest rank. Immediately before the time when cyan ink with the lowest lightness is ejected, immediately before the time when yellow ink classified as the highest rank is ejected in the upper right and lower right in the unit area In addition, precoat data is created so that the amount of processing liquid that permeates the paper P is discharged. When the processing liquid is discharged based on the precoat data created in this way, the entire amount of the processing liquid soaks into the paper P when ink with a relatively large discharge amount is discharged. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent a deterioration in image quality.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the initial data creation process performed by the initial data creation unit 57a of the precoat data creation unit 57 and the change process performed by the change unit 57b are performed for all unit areas will be described. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the change process may be performed only on the unit area including the image dots constituting the edge of the image related to the image data in the initial data created by the initial data creation process. Also, only the unit area including the image dots constituting the edge of the image related to the image data, the initial data is created by the initial data creation process, and the data is changed by the change process. Similarly, the processing liquid may be discharged. Disturbances in image quality tend to stand out at the edge of the image. Therefore, it is effective to apply the present invention to the unit area including the image dots constituting the edge.

  In the above-described embodiment, before the ink of the color classified into the highest rank is ejected to the unit area, the ink other than the ink of the color classified into the highest rank is ejected. An image data changing unit 56 is provided for changing the image data so as to increase the amount of ink of the color classified into the highest rank when the lightness of the ink other than the ink of the color classified into the highest rank is low. However, the image data changing unit 56 may not be provided. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the lightness is classified into only two types of high and low, but when the lightness of each ink is classified into three or more levels, the image data changing unit 56 is the most. The image data may be changed so as to increase the amount of ink of the color classified into the highest rank as the lightness of the ink other than the ink of the color classified into the higher rank is lower.

  In addition, in the above-described embodiment, for each unit area divided by the data dividing unit 55a, the rank dividing unit 55b converts a plurality of colors of ink discharged into the unit area into an amount discharged into the unit area. Although the case where ranking is performed in accordance with four levels has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. The rank dividing unit 55b may rank the plurality of colors of ink ejected to each unit region in three or less stages, or in five or more stages.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the data dividing unit 55a divides the image data into unit areas each including a 4-dot area has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The data dividing unit 55a may divide the image data into unit areas constituted by 3 dot areas or less, that is, for example, image areas constituted by 1 dot areas, or unit areas constituted by 5 dot areas or more. You may divide every.

  The present invention is also applicable to a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid other than ink. Further, the present invention is not limited to a printer, and can be applied to a facsimile, a copier, and the like. In addition, the head controller does not drive the actuator unit of the processing liquid head or the actuator unit of each recording head, but discharges the processing liquid or ink from the head by driving the processing liquid head and the heating element of each recording head. It is good. Further, the action of the treatment liquid on the ink includes a chemical reaction caused by mixing the ink and the treatment liquid to aggregate or deposit components (pigments and dyes) in the ink. It also includes aggregating or depositing components (pigments and dyes) in the ink without chemical reaction. Further, as described above, a treatment liquid that aggregates pigment pigments is generally used for pigment ink, and a treatment liquid that precipitates dye pigments is used for dye ink, as described above. It may have both effects of precipitation.

1a Recording head (first liquid discharge head)
1b Treatment liquid discharge head (second liquid discharge head)
16 Transport mechanism 51a Recording head controller (image recording controller, flushing controller)
51b Processing liquid head control section (second liquid discharge control means)
52 Image data storage unit (image data storage means)
53 Preliminary ejection data storage unit (first liquid preliminary ejection data storage means)
56 Image data changing unit (image data changing means)
57 Precoat data creation unit (second liquid discharge data creation means)
57a Initial data creation unit (initial data creation means)
57b Change unit (second liquid discharge data changing means)
60 Transport control unit

Claims (9)

A transport mechanism for transporting the recording medium in the transport direction;
A plurality of first liquid ejection heads that respectively eject a plurality of first liquids of different colors that form an image on a recording medium;
A second liquid that is located upstream of the plurality of first liquid discharge heads in the transport direction and that discharges a second liquid that acts on the first liquid to aggregate or deposit components in the first liquid. A liquid discharge head;
Image data storage means for storing image data;
Image recording control for controlling the plurality of first liquid ejection heads based on the image data stored in the image data storage means so that the first liquid is ejected onto the recording medium to form image dots. Means,
Second liquid ejection data creating means for creating ejection data of the second liquid so that the second liquid is ejected onto a plurality of unit areas on a recording medium including an area where the image dots are formed;
Second liquid ejection control means for controlling the second liquid ejection head based on the ejection data of the second liquid created by the second liquid ejection data creating means;
Based on the image data stored in the image data storage unit, the first liquids of the plurality of colors ejected to the plurality of unit areas are ranked into a plurality of ranks according to the amount to be ejected. Ranking means,
Each of the plurality of first liquid ejection heads is disposed at a different position in the transport direction,
The second liquid ejection data creation means includes a first liquid classified into a rank having the largest amount of the first liquids of the plurality of colors ranked by the ranking means for each of the plurality of unit regions. at the time when discharged into the unit area, as the total amount of the second liquid corresponding to the amount of the first liquid to be classified in the highest amount often rank Ru discharged in the unit area is steeped in a recording medium A liquid discharge apparatus for generating discharge data of the second liquid. The second liquid discharge data creation means includes
Initial data creating means for creating initial data of the ejection data of the second liquid;
Second liquid discharge data changing means for changing the initial data created by the initial data creating means,
The second liquid discharge data changing means discharges the second liquid for each of the unit areas based on the initial data created by the initial data creation means, and classifies the unit area into the rank with the largest amount. When the first liquid is discharged to the unit area, the initial data relating to the unit area is changed when the entire amount of the second liquid discharged to the unit area does not penetrate into the recording medium. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 . The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the initial data creating unit creates the initial data based on the image data stored in the image data storage unit. The second liquid discharge data changing unit is a case where the discharge data of the second liquid related to the unit region is changed, and the second liquid discharge data changing unit is configured to change the second liquid discharge data related to the adjacent region which is the unit region adjacent to the unit region. when the ejection data is the second liquid has a not discharged data, claim 2 or, characterized in that to change the ejection data of the second liquid so that the area adjacent the second liquid is ejected 4. The liquid ejection device according to 3 . The second liquid ejection data generating means, according to claim 1-4, characterized in that to create the ejection data of the second liquid in the unit area that includes the image dots constituting the images of the edge according to the image data The liquid discharge apparatus according to any one of the above. The image data storage means further comprises image data changing means for changing the image data stored in the image data storage means,
The image data changing means sets the color other than the first liquid classified in the rank with the largest amount before the first liquid classified in the rank with the largest amount is ejected to the unit region. When the first liquid is discharged to the unit area, the lightness of the first liquid related to a color other than the first liquid classified into the rank with the largest amount is lower, and the amount is the largest. to increase the amount of the first liquid to be classified into ranks, a liquid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that to change the image data. When there are a plurality of the first liquids classified into the rank with the largest amount, the second liquid ejection data creation unit is configured to provide the first liquid with the lowest brightness of the first liquid among the plurality of first liquids. 2. The discharge data is created such that when the liquid is discharged into the unit area, the entire amount of the second liquid discharged into the unit area is infiltrated into the recording medium. The liquid discharge apparatus according to any one of to 6 . First liquid preliminary discharge data storage means for storing preliminary discharge data related to preliminary discharge of the first liquid;
Based on the preliminary ejection data stored in the first liquid preliminary ejection data storage means, the first liquid is ejected from the first liquid ejection head to form flushing dots on the recording medium. And a flushing control means for controlling one liquid discharge head,
The second liquid ejection data creation means forms the image dots when the first liquid that forms the flushing dots in the unit area and the first liquid that forms the image dots are ejected. 2. The ejection data is created so that when the one liquid is ejected to the unit area, the entire amount of the second liquid that has landed in the unit area soaks into the recording medium. The liquid ejection device according to any one of to 7 . A transport mechanism that transports the recording medium in the transport direction, and a plurality of first liquids that are disposed at different positions in the transport direction and that respectively discharge a plurality of first liquids of different colors that form an image on the recording medium. A liquid discharge head, and a second liquid that is positioned upstream of the plurality of first liquid discharge heads in the transport direction and that acts on the first liquid to agglomerate or deposit components in the first liquid A program for controlling a liquid discharge apparatus including a second liquid discharge head for discharging
Image data storage means for storing image data;
Image recording control for controlling the plurality of first liquid ejection heads based on the image data stored in the image data storage means so that the first liquid is ejected onto the recording medium to form image dots. Means,
Second liquid ejection data creating means for creating ejection data of the second liquid so that the second liquid is ejected onto a plurality of unit areas on a recording medium including an area where the image dots are formed;
Second liquid ejection control means for controlling the second liquid ejection head based on the ejection data of the second liquid created by the second liquid ejection data creating means;
Based on the image data stored in the image data storage unit, the first liquids of the plurality of colors ejected to the plurality of unit areas are ranked into a plurality of ranks according to the amount to be ejected. Let the computer function as a ranking means,
The second liquid ejection data creation means includes a first liquid classified into a rank having the largest amount among the plurality of first liquids ranked by the ranking means for each of the plurality of unit regions. at the time when discharged into the unit area, as the total amount of the second liquid corresponding to the amount of the first liquid to be classified in the highest amount often rank Ru discharged in the unit area is steeped in a recording medium A program for generating discharge data of the second liquid.

Images