JPH0278571A - Method and device for color ink jet recording - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a clear mixed-color printing by three primary colors and improve the color forming properties of these mixed colors by a method wherein the color inks are overlapped in the recording priority of cyan, magenta, and yellow. CONSTITUTION:A printing head carriage 16 is disposed on a printing start position (the utmost left position) and moved in a direction of an arrow W. Firstly, a printing head 18c is actuated when it passes through a printing position for 'A' to print 'A' with cyan. Succeedingly, the printing head 18c is also actuated when it passes through a printing position for 'B' to print 'B' with cyan. At this time, a printing head 18M is also actuated to print 'A' with magenta on the 'A' printed with cyan. As a result, the 'A' is recorded with a blue-series color. Since magenta is overlapped on cyan in this manner when a blue-series mixed color is to be produced, the effect of the magenta is reduced. Similarly, since yellow is overlapped on cyan or magenta when a green-series mixed color or a red-series mixed color is to be produced, the effect of the yellow is reduced.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] A color inkjet recording method and apparatus for obtaining a mixed color by overlapping at least two colors selected from the three primary color inks of yellow, magenta and cyan, and a device for the same, The purpose of the present invention is to provide a color inkjet recording method and device that can clarify mixed color printing using color inks of color ink and improve the color development of the mixed colors, The recording priority when overlapping at least two selected color inks to obtain a mixed color is cyan.
A color inkjet recording method characterized in that magenta and yellow are formed, and print heads for at least two color inks selected from three primary color inks of yellow, magenta and cyan are arranged. The color inkjet recording apparatus is characterized in that the arrangement priorities are set as a cyan print head, a magenta print head, and a yellow print head in the printing movement direction of the print head carriage.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a color inkjet recording method and apparatus for producing a mixed color by overlapping at least two color inks selected from the three primary color inks of yellow, magenta and cyan.

[Conventional technology]

It is already known to perform color recording using inkjet recording technology, and in this case, two colors selected from the three primary colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan are usually used as color inks.

This is because by using at least two of these three primary colors, a predetermined mixed color can be obtained.

That is, as is well known, by superimposing yellow and magenta, a reddish mixed color is obtained, by superimposing yellow and cyan, a greenish color is obtained, and by superimposing magenta and cyan, a blueish color is obtained. therefore,
In a color inkjet recording device configured to perform color recording using all three primary colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan, the print head carriage is provided with a yellow print head, a magenta print head, and a cyan print head, As a result, the colors are superimposed as described above, and a desired mixed color is obtained. As is well known to those skilled in the art, black can be theoretically obtained by using all three primary colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan, but in reality, a clear black cannot be obtained. Therefore, in addition to such a color print head, a black print head for black ink is also used.

By the way, with conventional color inkjet recording technology,
When obtaining the above-mentioned mixed color, it is customary to superimpose the colors in the order of yellow, magenta, and cyan. For example, in a print head of a color inkjet recording device that uses all three primary colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan, a yellow print head, a magenta print head, and a cyan print head are sequentially arranged in the printing direction. To obtain a mixed color system, a yellow inkjet drop is applied to the printing paper and then a magenta inkjet drop is superimposed thereon. Similarly, when obtaining a green-based mixed color, cyan is superimposed on yellow, and when obtaining a blue-based mixed color, cyan is superimposed on magenta.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the conventional color inkjet recording technology as described above, there has been no mention of mixed color print quality of red, green, and blue. The inventors have discovered that single-color printing of yellow, magenta, or cyan is extremely sharp and clear, while red,
It has been found that when printed in a mixed color of green and blue, the outline becomes unclear.

Therefore, the inventors of the present invention investigated the cause of why mixed color printing of red, green, and blue colors becomes unclear, and the following points were clarified as the cause. When an inkjet droplet of the second ink is applied to the printing paper and then an inkjet droplet of the second ink is superimposed on the inkjet droplet, the periphery of the printing area is bordered by the second ink, and the second ink is It has been found that when the border appears to match the mixed color of the first ink and the second ink, the entire print becomes unclear.

Referring to FIG. 2, the relationship between the first ink and the second ink when an inkjet droplet of the first ink is applied to the printing paper and then an inkshared droplet of the second ink is superimposed thereon. A cross section of the printed area is shown to clarify the distribution. In FIG. 2, the first ink is distributed only in the halftone area, and the second ink is distributed in both the halftone area and the hatched area. Referring to FIG. 3A, the first and second ink distributions shown in FIG. 2 are ink density distributions in the thickness direction of the printing paper, that is, in the depth direction (Z).
3B, the first and second ink distributions shown in FIG. 2 are shown as ink density distributions in the paper surface direction (x) of the printing paper.

In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the solid line shows the density distribution of the first ink, and the broken line shows the density distribution of the second ink.

As is clear from Figures 2, 3A and 3B,
It can be seen that the mixed color area of the first ink and the second ink is bordered by the second ink on the surface of the printing paper.

In short, if you superimpose magenta on yellow,
The red mixed color area of yellow and magenta is bordered by magenta, and the magenta border appears to blend in with the red mixed color area, so that the red mixed color area becomes unclear and the yellow When and cyan are superimposed, the green mixed color area of yellow and cyan is bordered by cyan, and the cyan border appears to blend in with the green mixed color area, so the green mixed color area If the area is scaled and becomes unclear, and if cyan is superimposed on magenta, the blue mixed color area of magenta and cyan will be bordered by cyan, and the cyan border will be blended with the blue mixed color area. The colors appear to match, and as a result, the bluish mixed color region becomes unclear.

Also, when magenta is superimposed on yellow, as shown in Figure 2, the magenta goes under the yellow and emphasizes the yellow, so the mixed color is a deep orange rather than red. It will take on a color. Similarly, when cyan is superimposed on yellow, the cyan goes under the yellow and emphasizes the yellow, so the mixed color becomes closer to yellow-green rather than green. Furthermore, when cyan is superimposed on magenta, cyan goes under magenta and magenta is emphasized, so the mixed color becomes closer to purple than blue. Of course, by adjusting the density of yellow, magenta, and cyan, you can create red as a mixed color when magenta is layered on top of yellow, green as a mixed color when layered with cyan on top of yellow, and green as a mixed color when layered with cyan on top of yellow. It is possible to obtain blue when overlapping cyan, but
In this case, a problem arises in that the color balance deteriorates when yellow, magenta, and cyan are recorded individually.

In short, with conventional color inkjet recording technology,
It was revealed that the original red, green, and blue colors are not produced by the superposition of the three primary colors yellow, magenta, and cyan.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a color inkjet recording method and apparatus for producing a mixed color by superimposing at least two colors selected from the three primary colors of yellow, magenta and cyan as color inks, and an apparatus therefor.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a color inkjet recording method and an apparatus thereof that can make mixed color printing of primary colors clear and improve the color development of the mixed colors.

[Means to solve the problem]

According to the present invention, in a color inkjet recording method for obtaining a mixed color by superimposing at least two color inks selected from the three primary color inks of yellow, magenta, and cyan, there is a method for producing a mixed color by superimposing such color inks. It is characterized by the recording priority being cyan, magenta, and yellow.

Further, according to the present invention, in a color inkjet recording device that obtains a mixed color by overlapping at least two color inks selected from the three primary color inks of yellow, magenta, and cyan, the print head carriage When arranging the color ink print heads that overlap upward, the order of arrangement priority may be the cyan print head, the magenta print head, and the yellow print head in the printing movement direction of the print head carriage. It is considered to be a characteristic.

[For production]

In the color inkjet recording method according to the present invention, when at least two color inks selected from the three primary color inks of yellow, magenta, and cyan are superimposed to obtain a mixed color, the recording priority is cyan. , magenta, and yellow, so the blue mixed color area obtained by overlapping cyan and magenta is edged with magenta, and the green mixed color area obtained by overlapping cyan and yellow is yellow. Also, the red mixed color area obtained by superimposing magenta and yellow will be bordered with yellow (see explanations for Figures 2, 3A, and 3B), but blue The mixed color area does not appear to blend in with the magenta border, and the green mixed color area and the red mixed color area do not appear to blend in with the yellow border.

In addition, in the color inkjet recording method according to the present invention, magenta is superimposed on cyan, so in order for magenta to go under cyan, cyan is superimposed on magenta when a blue mixed color is produced. The influence of magenta is weakened compared to the case, and similarly, yellow is superimposed on cyan or magenta, so yellow goes under cyan or magenta, so the influence of green-based mixed colors or red-based mixed colors When developing color, the influence of yellow is weakened compared to when cyan is superimposed on yellow or when magenta is superimposed on yellow.

In the color inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention, when the print heads for at least two color inks selected from the three primary color inks of yellow, magenta, and cyan are arranged on the print head carriage, Since the arrangement priority is given to the cyan print head, the magenta print head, and the yellow print head in the printing movement direction of the print head carriage, when obtaining a blue-based mixed color of cyan and magenta, cyan When magenta is superimposed on top of cyan to obtain a greenish mixed color of cyan and yellow, yellow is superimposed on cyan and when a reddish mixed color of magenta and yellow is obtained, magenta is superimposed on top of magenta. Yellow is superimposed on top. Therefore, as mentioned above, the blue mixed color area obtained by overlapping cyan and magenta is edged with magenta, and the green mixed color area obtained by overlapping cyan and yellow is edged with yellow. , the red mixed color area obtained by overlapping magenta and yellow will be bordered with yellow, but the blue mixed color area will not appear to match the magenta border, and the green Both the mixed color area and the mixed red color area do not appear to blend in with the yellow border. Further, in the color inkjet recording device according to the present invention, when producing a blue mixed color, magenta is superimposed on cyan, so the influence of magenta is weakened, and similarly, when producing a green mixed color or a red mixed color, magenta is superimposed on cyan. When yellow is superimposed on cyan or magenta, the influence of yellow is weakened.

〔Example〕

Next, an embodiment of a color inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view partially showing only the printing section of the color inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention, in which a platen IO is rotatably supported on a suitable frame structure (not shown). is provided. A paper holding rod 12 is incorporated in the platen 10 in a well-known manner, and the printing paper S is held on the platen 1 by the paper holding loft 12.
While being reliably held at zero, the platen 10 is driven to feed the line at a predetermined interval.

As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of guide rods 14.14 are disposed parallel to each other along platen 10, and each guide rod may be supported by a suitable frame structure as described above. A print head carriage 1 is mounted on a pair of guide rods 14.14.
6 is slidably mounted so that the printhead carriage 16 can move along the platen 10. Note that the print head carriage 16 incorporates a well-known suitable drive mechanism, such as a belt drive mechanism, but such a drive mechanism is not directly related to the present invention and is therefore not shown in FIG. .

The printing carriage 16 has an inkjet type 4
One printing pad 18c, 18. , 18y and 1
8, the print head 18c is for cyan,
Print head 18M is for magenta, print head 18
V is for yellow, and print head 18 is for blank. What should be noted here is that the printing grooves 18C, 18, and t8 on the printing carriage 16
This is the arrangement order of v.

That is, in the printing movement direction of the print head carriage 16 (arrow W), the cyan print head 18 is placed first, then the magenta print head 18o, and then the yellow print head 18v. It means that it will be placed. Therefore, when recording a blue color with cyan and magenta, magenta is superimposed on cyan, and when recording a green color with cyan and yellow, yellow is superimposed on cyan, and when magenta and yellow are used, yellow is superimposed on cyan. When recording red colors with , yellow will be superimposed on magenta. Note that in this embodiment, the black print head 18. The position of blank print head 18. Needless to say, it may be located at the forefront.

4 print heads 18. , 18. , 18V and 1
8++ has ink intake tubes 20c and 20s, respectively.
, 20y and 20. are provided, and flexible ink supply tubes are connected to these ink intake tubes. The ink supply tubes are bundled into a tube bundle 22 and connected to predetermined ink supplies (not shown): a cyan supply, a magenta supply, a yellow supply, and a blank supply.

Next, the operation of the color inkjet recording apparatus described above will be explained. As an example, a case will be described in which the letters "A',""B" and "C" are printed on the printing paper S in blue, green and red, respectively.

First, the print head carriage 16 is placed at a print start position (that is, the leftmost position in FIG. 1), and the print head carriage 16 is moved in the direction of arrow W from the print start position.

During the movement of the 7-position cartridge 16 to printing in this way, first,
Print head 18c is activated as it passes the alpha vent "A" print position to print alpha head "A" in cyan, and then print head 18. It is also activated when passing the printing position of the alphabet "B",
Print the alphabet “B” in cyan. At this time, the print head 18.4 is also activated to print the magenta alpha bent "A" on the cyan alphabet "A", so that the alphabet "A" is recorded in blue.

When print head 18M passes the printing position of the alphabet "C", it is activated again to print the alphabet "C" in magenta while print head 18. is also activated to print the yellow alphabet “B” on the cyan alpha vent “B”, resulting in the alphabet “B”
will be recorded in green.

When the print head 18V passes the alpha vent "C" printing position, it is activated again to print the yellow alphabet "C" on the magenta alphabet "C";
As a result, the alphabet "C" will be recorded in red.

As is clear from the previous record, the blue alphabet "A" is bordered with magenta, but the magenta border does not appear to blend with the blue alpha head "A"; Alphabear) “A” is clearly visible. On the other hand, the green alphabet "B" and the red alphabet "C" are both edged with yellow, but the yellow border does not blend with the green alphabet "B" and the red alphabet "C". Both the green alpha head "B" and the red alpha head "C" can be clearly seen.

In the above-described embodiment, the printing operation is performed when the print head carrier 7 16 moves only in the direction of the arrow W, but the print head 18 . It goes without saying that if two print heads 18M and 187 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center, the same printing operation can be performed when the print head carriage 16 moves in both directions. In addition, in the above embodiment, printing corresponding to the three primary color inks of yellow, magenta and cyan) "18C, 18s and "
Although 8° was used, it is clear from the claims that the use of at least two of these angles is also intended to be within the technical scope of the present invention. .

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, when obtaining a blue-based mixed color of cyan and magenta, magenta is superimposed on cyan to obtain a green-based mixed color of cyan and yellow. In this case, yellow is superimposed on cyan, and in order to obtain a red mixed color of magenta and yellow, yellow is superimposed on magenta, so that the blue mixed color area is bordered with magenta. Since the green mixed color area is bordered with yellow, and the red mixed color area is bordered with yellow, the blue mixed color area does not appear to blend in with the magenta border, and the green mixed color area does not appear to blend in with the magenta border. In the mixed color area and the red mixed color area, the yellow border and the weld do not appear to match. Therefore, the blue mixed color area, the green mixed color area, and the red mixed color area can be clearly seen. On the other hand, when a blue-based mixed color is produced, magenta goes under the cyan, which weakens the influence of magenta and improves the blue color development, and when a green-based mixed color or a red-based mixed color is produced, Yellow moves under cyan or magenta, thereby weakening the influence of yellow and improving the color development of green or red.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printing section of a color inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a printing section of a color inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the distribution of the first ink and the second ink when inkjet droplets of the ink are superimposed.
is the thickness direction of the printing paper, that is, the depth direction (with the first and second ink distributions shown in Fig. 2 as ink density distributions).
FIG. 3B is a graph showing the first and second ink distributions shown in FIG. 2 as ink density distributions in the paper surface direction (x) of the printing paper. 10...Platen, 12...Paper holding rod, I4...Guide rod, 16...Print gutter carriage, 18,・18,・I8V' 18g...Print head,
20c, 20. , 20v・20. -... Ink intake tube, 22... Tube bundle.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a color inkjet recording method for obtaining a mixed color by overlapping at least two color inks selected from the three primary color inks of yellow, magenta and cyan, A color inkjet recording method characterized in that recording priority during alignment is cyan, magenta, and yellow. 2. In a color inkjet recording device that obtains a mixed color by overlapping at least two color inks selected from the three primary color inks of yellow, magenta, and cyan, the color applied on the print head carriage (16) When arranging the ink print heads, the order of priority for arranging the print heads is as follows in the print movement direction of the print head carriage: cyan print head (18_C), magenta print head (18_Y), and yellow print head (18_Y).
8_B) A color inkjet recording device characterized by: