Liquid drop ejecting device, controller therefor, liquid drop ejecting method, and storage medium storing a program

Abstract

A controller for a liquid drop ejecting device including a first head with plural first liquid drop ejectors, and a second head with plural second liquid drop ejectors, is provided. The controller includes: a scanning controlling section scanning at least the first head plural times a same region of a recording medium; and an ejection controlling section controlling the first and second head such that a proportion of an applied amount, per unit surface area, of the second liquid drops with respect to an applied amount, per unit surface area, of the first liquid drops in a first scan, is within a range of 0 to a first value, and the proportion in scans from a second scan on is within a range of a second value to 1, and the proportion in the first scan is smaller than the proportion in the scans from the second scan on.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the schematic structure of a liquid drop ejecting device relating to first and second embodiments;

FIGS. 2A through 2D are diagrams schematically explaining the structure of a liquid drop ejector, the driving waveform of voltage applied to a piezoelectric element of the liquid drop ejector, and the size of a dot ejected in accordance with the driving waveform;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a program of a printing processing routine executed in the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an arrangement of a recording head and a reaction liquid head with respect to a recording sheet;

FIG. 5A is a diagram explaining an ejected state of ink drops of a first pass of the first embodiment, and FIG. 5B is a diagram explaining an ejected state of ink drops and reaction liquid drops of a second pass;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a program of a printing processing routine executed in the second embodiment;

FIG. 7A is a diagram explaining an ejected state of ink drops of a first pass of the second embodiment, and FIG. 7B is a diagram explaining an ejected state of ink drops and reaction liquid drops of a second pass;

FIG. 8 is a table showing respective recording conditions of Examples 1 through 10 and Comparative Examples 1 through 5; and

FIG. 9 is a table showing the evaluation of the recording results of Examples 1 through 10 and Comparative Examples 1 through 5, in a case in which double-pass recording is carried out under the recording conditions shown in FIG. 8.

Claims

1. A controller that controls a liquid drop ejecting device including a first head at which a plurality of first liquid drop ejectors, which eject first liquid drops containing a coloring material, are arrayed, and a second head at which a plurality of second liquid drop ejectors, which eject second liquid drops that cause components of the first liquid drops to thicken, cohere or become insoluble, are arrayed, the controller comprising: a scanning control section that controls scanning such that, among the first head and the second head, at least the first head scans a plurality of times relative to a corresponding region of a recording medium; andan ejection control section that controls ejecting of the first head and the second head such that, among the plurality of times of scanning, a proportion of an applied amount, per unit surface area, of the second liquid drops onto the recording medium with respect to an applied amount, per unit surface area, of the first liquid drops onto the recording medium in a first scan is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to a first value, the proportion from a second scan on is greater than or equal to a second value and less than or equal to 1, and the proportion in the first scan is smaller than the proportion from the second scan on.

2. The controller of claim 1, wherein the first value is 0.3, and the second value is 0.1.

3. The controller of claim 1, wherein the ejection control section controls the ejecting of the first head such that an applied amount, per unit surface area, of the first liquid drops onto the recording medium in the first scan, is less than an applied amount, per unit surface area, of the first liquid drops onto the recording medium from the second scan on.

4. The controller of claim 1, wherein the ejection control section controls the ejecting of the first head such that a drop amount of the first liquid drops in the first scan is less than a drop amount of the first liquid drops from the second scan on.

5. The controller of claim 1, wherein the ejection control section controls the ejecting of the second head such that a drop amount of the second liquid drops in the first scan is less than a drop amount of the second liquid drops from the second scan on.

6. The controller of claim 1, wherein surface tensions of the first liquid drops and the second liquid drops are in a range of approximately 25 to 35 mN/m.

7. The controller of claim 1, wherein control by the ejection control section is carried out with respect to a region at which an image is formed by, among the plurality of first liquid drop ejectors arrayed at the first head, first liquid drop ejectors that are arrayed within a predetermined range that includes a first liquid drop ejector with an ejection defect.

8. The controller of claim 1, wherein control by the ejection control section is carried out with respect to a region, within the recording medium, at which at least one of a solid image and a halftone image of a predetermined size or larger is formed.

9. A liquid drop ejecting device comprising: a first head at which a plurality of first liquid drop ejectors, which eject first liquid drops containing a coloring material, are arrayed;a second head at which a plurality of second liquid drop ejectors, which eject second liquid drops that cause components of the first liquid drops to thicken, cohere or become insoluble, are arrayed; anda controller,wherein the controller includes:a scanning control section that controls scanning such that, among the first head and the second head, at least the first head scans a plurality of times relative to a corresponding region of a recording medium; andan ejection control section that controls ejecting of the first head and the second head such that, among the plurality of times of scanning, a proportion of an applied amount, per unit surface area, of the second liquid drops onto the recording medium with respect to an applied amount, per unit surface area, of the first liquid drops onto the recording medium in a first scan, is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to a first value, the proportion from a second scan on is greater than or equal to a second value and less than or equal to 1, and the proportion in the first scan is smaller than the proportion from the second scan on.

10. A liquid drop ejecting method of ejecting liquid drops in a liquid drop ejecting device including a first head at which a plurality of first liquid drop ejectors, which eject first liquid drops containing a coloring material, are arrayed, and a second head at which a plurality of second liquid drop ejectors, which eject second liquid drops that cause components of the first liquid drops to thicken, cohere or become insoluble, are arrayed, the method comprising: controlling scanning of the first head and the second head such that, among the first head and the second head, at least the first head scans a plurality of times relative to a corresponding region of a recording medium; andcontrolling ejecting of the first head and the second head such that, among the plurality of times of scanning, a proportion of an applied amount, per unit surface area, of the second liquid drops onto the recording medium with respect to an applied amount, per unit surface area, of the first liquid drops onto the recording medium in a first scan is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to a first value, the proportion from a second scan on is greater than or equal to a second value and less than or equal to 1, and the proportion in the first scan is smaller than the proportion from the second scan on.

11. The liquid drop ejecting method of claim 10, wherein the first value is 0.3, and the second value is 0.1.

12. The liquid drop ejecting method of claim 10, wherein the ejecting controlling controls the ejecting of the first head such that an applied amount, per unit surface area, of the first liquid drops onto the recording medium in the first scan, is less than an applied amount, per unit surface area, of the first liquid drops onto the recording medium from the second scan on.

13. The liquid drop ejecting method of claim 10, wherein the ejecting controlling controls the ejecting of the first head such that a drop amount of the first liquid drops in the first scan is less than a drop amount of the first liquid drops from the second scan on.

14. The liquid drop ejecting method of claim 10, wherein the ejecting controlling controls the ejecting of the second head such that a drop amount of the second liquid drops in the first scan is less than a drop amount of the second liquid drops from the second scan on.

15. The liquid drop ejecting method of claim 10, wherein surface tensions of the first liquid drops and the second liquid drops are in a range of approximately 25 to 35 mN/m.

16. The liquid drop ejecting method of claim 10, wherein the ejecting controlling is carried out with respect to a region at which an image is formed by, among the plurality of first liquid drop ejectors arrayed at the first head, first liquid drop ejectors which are arrayed within a predetermined range that includes a first liquid drop ejector with an ejection defect.

17. The liquid drop ejecting method of claim 10, wherein the ejecting controlling is carried out with respect to a region, within the recording medium, at which at least one of a solid image and a halftone image of a predetermined size or larger is formed.

18. A machine-readable storage medium that stores a program that causes a computer to execute control processing that controls a liquid drop ejecting device including a first head at which a plurality of first liquid drop ejectors, which eject first liquid drops containing a coloring material, are arrayed, and a second head at which a plurality of second liquid drop ejectors, which eject second liquid drops that cause components of the first liquid drops to thicken, cohere or become insoluble, are arrayed, the control processing comprising: controlling scanning of the first head and the second head such that, among the first head and the second head, at least the first head scans a plurality of times relative to a corresponding region of a recording medium; andcontrolling ejecting of the first head and the second head such that, among the plurality of times of scanning, a proportion of an applied amount, per unit surface area, of the second liquid drops onto the recording medium with respect to an applied amount, per unit surface area, of the first liquid drops onto the recording medium in a first scan, is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to a first value, the proportion from a second scan on is greater than or equal to a second value and less than or equal to 1, and the proportion in the first scan is smaller than the proportion from the second scan on.