KR20050061763A - Printing control method and apparatus of inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, when printing a high resolution image in an inkjet printer, the printing execution time of each print swath pattern is set equal to each print swath pattern regardless of the horizontal print range of each print swath pattern. A printing control method and apparatus for an inkjet printer that allow high quality images to be obtained by making the ink drying degree the same.

According to the present invention, the same print time is set and applied regardless of a print swath pattern, and the same print time is longer than a time for the ink cartridge to move the longest of the print swath patterns. It is characterized by setting.

Description

Printing control method and apparatus of inkjet printer

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling printing in an inkjet printer, and more particularly, when printing a high resolution image in an inkjet printer, each print swath irrespective of a horizontal print range for each print swath pattern. A printing control method and apparatus for an inkjet printer that allow high quality images to be obtained by setting the same print execution time of a pattern so that the degree of ink drying for each printing swath pattern is the same.

For example, a computer user documents a computer-generated data or file by printing it to a printer, and various kinds of printers are used to document the data or file. For example, an inkjet printer performs a printing operation by causing bubbles generated by heating ink stored in a cartridge to be discharged onto a recording medium in a predetermined form, ie, a print swath pattern, through a nozzle. Such inkjet printers are widely used because they can easily form color images (images) and provide high resolution images.

In the printing operation in the inkjet printer, the ink cartridge of the inkjet printer ejects ink droplets on the recording medium according to the printing swath pattern while reciprocating horizontally perpendicularly to the traveling direction of the recording medium. At this time, for each swath pattern, the ink cartridge does not move the entire horizontal area of the recording medium, but moves only from the start position of the image to be printed to the end position of the image (that is, the print swath pattern width). Drops are dropped onto the record carrier to form an image.

On the other hand, at the time of printing a high resolution image in an inkjet printer, each printing swath is overlapped and a final image is formed. Therefore, since the ink drying degree of each printing swath affects the image of the final image in which the printing swath overlaps, a printing method for maintaining the dryness of the ink uniformly is required.

In one embodiment of the prior art printing method of the inkjet printer, since the ink cartridge is moved and printing only within the range of the image to be printed, the printing of each print swath according to the horizontal range of each print swath image The time required is different, which causes the ink drying degree of the combined printing swath to be different.

That is, referring to FIG. 1, the swath SS indicated by the symbol SS of the print target image IM has a narrow printing range PRS, and thus the printing is completed quickly, so that the next print swath before the ink is completely dried. The stacks will overlap. On the other hand, the swath SL indicated by the part number SL of the image to be printed IM has a relatively wide printing range PRL and a large moving range of the ink cartridge, so that the ink drying time is secured until the printing is completed. Most of the ink dries before the swath overlaps. In Fig. 1, the symbol P denotes a recording medium (or printing paper).

Therefore, according to the prior art, since the ink drying degree of swath with narrow printing range and the ink drying degree of swath with wide printing range are different, the uniformity difference of the image in the process of overlapping each swath with the next swath There was a problem that occurred.

Accordingly, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve the above problems, and when printing a high resolution image in an inkjet printer, each print swath pattern regardless of the horizontal print range for each print swath pattern It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for controlling printing of an inkjet printer, in which high-resolution images of high quality can be obtained by setting the same print execution time so that the ink drying degree for each print swath pattern is the same.

In order to achieve the above object, the printing control method of the inkjet printer according to the present invention is characterized in that the same printing time is applied regardless of each printing swath pattern.

Preferably, the moving range of the ink cartridge of the inkjet printer is the same according to the same printing time required.

Preferably, it is determined whether the image to be printed is high resolution to apply the same print time only when the image to be printed is high resolution.

The print control apparatus of the inkjet printer according to the present invention for implementing the print control method includes a print time controller for applying the same print time regardless of each print swath pattern. It is done.

Preferably, the printing time is set longer than the time that the ink cartridge moves the longest of the printing swath patterns.

Preferably, the print time control unit receives the print time required to determine the ink cartridge driving unit for moving the ink cartridge of the inkjet printer in the same moving range in accordance with the print time, and determines whether the image to be printed is high resolution The display apparatus may further include a resolution determiner configured to operate the print time controller only when the print target image has a high resolution.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a printing control method and apparatus of an inkjet printer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the present invention, when it is determined that detailed descriptions of related well-known technologies or configurations may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, terms to be described below are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary according to the intention or custom of a user or an operator. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the contents throughout the specification.

In the following description, when the member according to the prior art and the member according to the present invention are the same, the same reference numerals used in the prior art are used as they are, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

2 is a flowchart of a printing control method of an inkjet printer according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a printing control apparatus of an inkjet printer according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the operation of the present invention.

2 and 4, the printing control method of the inkjet printer according to the present invention, the step of obtaining the print target information (data) (S12) and the step of confirming whether the print target image (IM) is a high resolution ( S14), if the print target image IM is a high resolution, setting the moving range of the ink cartridges to be the same for all the print swath patterns by applying the same print time required regardless of the print swath pattern (S16) If the image IM is not high resolution, as in the prior art, setting the moving range of the ink cartridge according to each printing swath pattern (S18), and performing the printing operation while the ink cartridge moves in the set moving range (S22). ) It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the movement of the ink cartridge will be substantially accomplished by a carriage of the inkjet printer. The printing time is preferably set longer than the time that the ink cartridge moves the longest of the printing swath patterns.

Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the print control apparatus of the inkjet printer according to the present invention includes a print time control unit 14 for applying the same print time regardless of each print swath pattern; The print time control unit 14 receives the print time required and the ink cartridge driver 16 for moving the ink cartridge 18 in the same moving range according to the print time required, and whether the image to be printed IM is high resolution. And the resolution determining unit 12 for operating the print time control unit 14 only when the print target image IM has a high resolution.

The operation of the printing control method and apparatus of the inkjet printer according to the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, in the present invention, when printing each swath overlaps to form a high-resolution image, the entire image image is uniformized by maintaining the ink drying degree of each overlapping print swath at the same level. That is, according to the present invention, the horizontal moving range of the ink cartridge 18 with respect to all the printing swaths including the printing swaths SS and SL is such that the longer range TR than the longest of the printing swaths. By setting, the ink drying degree of each swath becomes the same level.

That is, the print time duration control unit 14 and the ink cartridge drive unit 16 according to the present invention maintain the ink drying degree of each printing swath overlapping even when the horizontal ranges of the printing swaths SS are different. The same print time is set so as to maintain the same, and the moving range of the ink cartridge 18 is made equal to TR (see Fig. 4). At this time, the ejection of the ink in the ink cartridge 18 is made only where the printing swath pattern exists, and there is no ejection of the ink in the remaining moving range section.

2 and 3, the resolution determining unit 12 at the time of printing obtains information of a print target image through input print data (S12). The resolution determining unit 12 checks whether the print target image is a high resolution image through the obtained information (S14). As a result of the determination by the resolution judging unit 12, if the image to be printed is high resolution, the print time control unit 14 has a constant carriage in which the ink cartridge 18 is mounted regardless of the image start and end positions of all print swaths. The print time is set to move the range TR (Fig. 4). The print time set by the print time control section 14 is set longer than the time for which the carriage moves the longest of the print swath patterns. When the print time is set by the print time control section 14, the ink cartridge driver 16 mounts the ink cartridge 18 for all print swaths regardless of the image start and end positions of the print swaths. The print operation is performed while driving the carriage for the printing time (S16) (S22). Here, the ink ejection from the ink cartridge 18 is made only where the corresponding swath pattern exists, and only the carriage moves without ejecting ink in the remaining moving section range.

Meanwhile, as a result of the determination by the resolution determining unit 12, if the image to be printed is not high resolution, the print operation is performed while the carriage is moved according to the range of each printing swath pattern according to the conventional technique (S18) ( S22).

As a result, the present invention improves the printing quality of high resolution by making the ink drying degree of each printing swath uniform.

As described above, the method and apparatus for controlling printing of an inkjet printer according to the present invention, when printing a high resolution image in an inkjet printer, irrespective of the horizontal printing range for each print swath pattern, By setting the print execution time to be the same so that the degree of ink drying for each print swath pattern is the same, a high quality image can be obtained.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It will be appreciated that modifications or variations may be made. Therefore, changes in the future embodiments of the present invention will not be able to escape the technology of the present invention.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a printing control method of a general inkjet printer.

2 is a flowchart of a printing control method of an inkjet printer according to the present invention;

3 is a configuration diagram of a print control device of an inkjet printer according to the present invention.

4 is a view for explaining the operation of the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

12: resolution judging unit 14: printing time control unit

16: ink cartridge drive unit 18: ink cartridge

SS: Printed swath pattern with short horizontal range

SL: Long horizontal range printed swath pattern

TR: Horizontal movement range of the ink cartridge applied to all printed swath patterns

Claims (8)

In the printing control method of an inkjet printer, A printing control method of an inkjet printer, characterized in that to apply the same print time regardless of each print swath pattern. The method of claim 1, The printing control method of the inkjet printer, characterized in that the moving range of the ink cartridge of the inkjet printer is the same according to the same print time required. The method of claim 1, And determining whether the print target image is high resolution so that the same print time is applied only when the print target image is high resolution. The method according to claim 1 or 2, And said same print time is set longer than the time that said ink cartridge moves the longest of said print swath patterns. In the print control apparatus of an inkjet printer, And a print time control unit for applying the same print time required regardless of each print swath pattern. The method of claim 5, And a print cartridge driver configured to receive the same print time from the print time controller and move the ink cartridge of the ink jet printer in the same moving range according to the same print time. . The method of claim 5, And a resolution determining unit configured to determine whether the print target image is high resolution and to operate the print time control unit only when the print target image is high resolution. The method according to claim 5 or 6, And said same print time is set longer than the time that said ink cartridge moves the longest of said print swath patterns.