Claims
- 1. A method for operating an ink-swath system to print an image; said method comprising the steps of:
identifying a portion of the image that has high color saturation along at least one swath boundary; and printing the image with ink depleted selectively in the identified portion.
- 2. The method of claim 1, for use if the system has a printmasking function; and wherein:
the identifying step comprises locating the swath boundary through the printmasking function.
- 3. The method of claim 2, wherein:
said locating comprises selecting swath positions identified in printmasks.
- 4. The method of claim 3, wherein:
said selecting comprises applying a printmask layer that has bits selectively positioned near the swath boundary.
- 5. The method of claim 2, wherein:
the identifying step comprises determining high color saturation through application of a depletion-localizing mask layer.
- 6. The method of claim 5, wherein:
said determining comprises operating the depletion-localizing mask layer as a highest-value mask layer.
- 7. The method of claim 6, wherein:
said operating comprises applying the depletion-localizing mask layer subtractively.
- 8. The method of claim 5, wherein:
said determining comprises applying the depletion-localizing mask layer only for pixels allocated maximum inking in at least one color plane.
- 9. The method of claim 8, wherein:
said applying comprises using the depletion-localizing mask layer subtractively.
- 10. The method of claim 5, wherein:
said locating comprises using said depletion-localizing mask layer, with bits selectively positioned near the swath boundary.
- 11. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the identifying step comprises selection of pixels having maximum inking in at least one color plane.
- 12. A method for printing an image with a printer that has a printmasking function; said method comprising the steps of:
using the printmasking function to define depletion regions; and printing the image with ink depleted selectively in the regions.
- 13. The method of claim 12, wherein:
the using step comprises establishing an auxiliary printmask to define the regions.
- 14. The method of claim 12, for use if the system forms the image in swaths of ink; and wherein:
the using step comprises defining depletion regions near at least one swath boundary that is identified through the printmasking function.
- 15. The method of claim 14, wherein:
said defining comprises establishing the regions near the swath boundary by bits selectively positioned in at least one printmask.
- 16. The method of claim 15, wherein:
the using step comprises defining depletion regions at pixels of high color saturation through application of a depletion-localizing mask layer.
- 17. The method of claim 16, wherein:
said application comprises operating the depletion-localizing mask layer as a highest-value mask layer.
- 18. The method of claim 17, wherein:
said operating comprises applying the depletion-localizing mask layer subtractively.
- 19. The method of claim 12, wherein:
the using step comprises applying a depletion-localizing mask layer subtractively.
- 20. The method of claim 12:further comprising the step of measuring test-plot optical-density nonuniformity arising from any or all of these types of defects or artifacts and others that introduce nonuniformity: boundary artifacts, swath-height error, printing-medium advance error, bidirectional banding, minibanding, and area-fill nonuniformity; and wherein the using step comprises defining, through the printmasking function, depletion regions and magnitudes that compensate for the measured nonuniformity.
- 21. The method of claim 20, wherein:
the using step tends to correct all said defects or artifacts for each color plane independently.
- 22. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of:
raising an ink-limit value to compensate for overall underinking effects of said defining.
- 23. A method for printing an image with a printer that has a printmasking function; said method comprising the steps of:
measuring test-plot optical-density nonuniformity; using the printmasking function to define ink-adjustment regions and magnitudes to compensate for the measured nonuniformity; and printing the image with ink adjusted selectively in the regions and according to the magnitudes.
- 24. The method of claim 23, wherein:
the measuring step responds to nonuniformity arising from any or all of these types of defects or artifacts and others that introduce nonuniformity: boundary artifacts, area-fill nonuniformity, swath-height error, printing-medium advance error, minibanding and bidirectional banding.
- 25. The method of claim 23, wherein:
the using step tends to correct all said defects or artifacts for each color plane independently.
- 26. Apparatus for printing an image in inkdrops, subject to mechanical artifacts; said apparatus comprising:
means for establishing units of ink depletion, prelocalized with respect to such artifacts and manipulated as negative inkdrops; and a print engine for printing the image with the drops and depletion units.
- 27. The apparatus of claim 26, when used for printing the image in plural successive inking installments; and further comprising:
means for allocating each inkdrop to one of the installments, respectively; and means for allocating at least some of the units of ink depletion to one of the installments, respectively; wherein the engine prints the image with the drops and units as allocated to the installments.
- 28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the depletion-allocating means comprise:
bits selectively positioned in at least one printmask to define a depletion region with respect to a swath of inkdrops.
- 29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the printmask comprises:
at least one depletion-localizing mask layer, containing said bits, that is invoked only at pixels of high color saturation.
- 30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein:
the depletion-localizing mask layer is a highest-value mask layer.
- 31. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the depletion units comprise:
at least one depletion-localizing mask layer that is invoked only at pixels of high color saturation.
- 32. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the print engine comprises:
for each colorant that is in use, a scanning array of inking units; and a firing system for providing signals to operate the array.
- 33. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the print engine comprises:
a pagewide array of inking units, having multiple inking rows for inking, in each colorant that is in use, a pagewide swath; and a firing system for providing signals to operate the array.
- 34. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising:
means for shifting such printing medium along a medium-advance axis between successive inking installments, or successive groups of inking installments, of the array.
RELATED PATENT DOCUMENTS
[0001] Closely related documents are other, coowned U.S. utility-patent documents—hereby wholly incorporated by reference into this document. Those documents are in the names of:
[0002] Thomas H. Baker et al., Ser. No. 09/183,819, “COLOR-CALIBRATION SENSOR SYSTEM FOR INCREMENTAL PRINTING”, issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______;
[0003] Francis Bockman and Guo Li, U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,008, “CONSTRUCTING DEVICE-STATE TABLES FOR INKJET PRINTING”;
[0004] Ramon Borrell, Ser. No. 09/146,858, “ENVIRONMENTAL AND OPERATIONAL COLOR CALIBRATION, WITH INTEGRATED INK LIMITING, IN INCREMENTAL PRINTING”, issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______; and Ser. No. 09/252,163, “PIXEL-DENSITY AUGMENTATION AND ADJUSTMENT WITH MINIMUM DATA, IN AN INCREMENTAL PRINTER” issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______;
[0005] Miquel Cluet et al., Ser. No. 09/642,418, “PRINTING AND MEASURING DIRECTLY DISPLAYED IMAGE QUALITY, WITH AUTOMATIC COMPENSATION, IN INCREMENTAL PRINTING”, issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______;
[0006] David Donovan and Miquel Boleda, Ser. No. 09/688,610, “APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MITIGATING COLORANT-DEPOSITION ERRORS IN INCREMENTAL PRINTING”, issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______;
[0007] Jose-Julio Doval et al., provisional No. 60/179,383, then nonprovisional Ser. No. 09/693,524, “COMPENSATION FOR MARKING-POSITION ERRORS ALONG THE PEN-LENGTH DIRECTION, IN INKJET PRINTING”, issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______;
[0008] Joan-Manel Garcia-Reyero et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,556, “IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATED AND SEMIAUTOMATED PRINT-MASK GENERATION FOR INCREMENTAL PRINTING”—and earlier documents cited therein—as well as Ser. No. 09/150,321, “MASKS ON DEMAND FOR USE IN INCREMENTAL PRINTING”, issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______; and Ser. No. 09/150,322, “FAST BUILDING OF MASKS FOR USE IN INCREMENTAL PRINTING”, issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______; and Ser. No. 09/150,323, “OPTIMAL-SIZE AND NOZZLE-MODULATED PRINTMASKS FOR USE IN INCREMENTAL PRINTING”, issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______,
[0009] Antoni Gil et al., Ser. No. 09/775,771, “EXTERNALLY CUSTOMIZED TONAL-HIERARCHY CONFIGURATION AND COMPLEMENTARY BUSINESS ARRANGEMENTS, FOR INKJET PRINTING”, issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______;
[0010] Pau Soler et al., Ser. No. 09/919,260, “COMPENSATING FOR DRIFT AND SENSOR PROXIMITY IN A SCANNING SENSOR, IN COLOR CALIBRATING INCREMENTAL PRINTERS”, issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______;
[0011] Francesc Subirada et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,652, “SCANNING AN INKJET TEST PATTERN FOR DIFFERENT CALIBRATION ADJUSTMENTS”; and Ser. No. 09/766,514, “TEST-BASED ADVANCE OPTIMIZATION IN INCREMENTAL PRINTING: MEDIAN, SENSITIVITY-WEIGHTED MEAN, NORMAL RANDOM VARIATION”, issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______; and Ser. No. 09/919,207, “LINEARIZATION OF AN INCREMENTAL PRINTER BY MEASUREMENTS REFERRED TO A MEDIA-INDEPENDENT SENSOR CALIBRATION”, issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______,
[0012] Ferran Vilanova et al., Ser. No. 09/935,499, “STREAMLINED REAL-TIME PRINTMASK REVISION, AND PRINTING-ELEMENT DATA SYSTEM, TO CIRCUMVENT ELEMENT MALFUNCTION”, issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______; and Ser. No. 09/945,492, “CLOSED-LOOP COLOR CORRECTION USING LABORATORY-MEASURED COLOR CUTOFFS ANCHORED TO FIELD-MEASURED BLACK-AND-WHITE”, issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______;
[0013] Sascha de Pena Hempel et al., docket 60015799Z161 concurrent herewith, “REMOVAL OR MITIGATION OF ARTIFACTS IN COMPOSITE-COLOR INCREMENTAL PRINTING”, later Ser. No. ______ and issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______.
[0014] Also treating malfunctioning-nozzle recognition and compensation, but not incorporated by reference, is U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,205 of Donald Billet, with Raster Graphics.