Print data editing apparatus and editing method, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

A print data editing apparatus and editing method, and a computer-readable storage medium. In the print data editing apparatus, a controller is configured to perform: editing; and conversion. The editing edits print data representing an input image so that, when columns of subdots constituting the input image before and after the editing are compared in units of columns, coincidence is maximized when an image of each column in the input image after the editing is positionally identical to an image of a corresponding column in the input image before the editing or is shifted in a subscanning direction by a corresponding shift amount with respect to the image of the corresponding column in the input image before the editing. The conversion includes: determining one or more subdots as conversion subdots; and editing the print data so that the print data indicates off for the one or more subdots determined as the conversion subdots.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a print data editing device and editing method, as well as a computer-readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Conventional printing equipment uses thermal leads equipped with multiple heating elements to print on printing media. When the printing equipment operates using a power source (such as a battery or AC adapter), the current that can be supplied to the thermal leads simultaneously is limited by the power supply specifications. Therefore, conventional printing equipment corrects the print data based on the number of dots printed by dividing the print data into dots with even and odd positions in order to suppress peak currents supplied to the thermal leads.

[0003] However, conventional printing equipment cannot adequately raise the temperature of the heating element at the printing start point, such as the boundary. Therefore, the start point may appear blurry, making it difficult for conventional printing equipment to achieve high print quality and fast printing speeds. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the foregoing, the object of the present invention is to provide a print data editing device, a print data editing method, and a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions for editing print data, so as to improve print quality and printing speed compared with conventional techniques.

[0005] (1) To achieve the above and other objectives, according to one aspect, this disclosure provides a print data editing apparatus. A print data editing apparatus includes a controller. The controller is configured to edit print data to be used in a printing apparatus. The printing apparatus includes: a print head; and a transport unit. The print head includes a plurality of elements. The plurality of elements are linearly arranged in a main scanning direction. The transport unit is configured to move a printable object and the print head relative to each other in a sub-scanning direction. The sub-scanning direction intersects the main scanning direction. The print data includes data indicating whether each of the plurality of elements is ON or OFF. The printing apparatus is configured to form an image on a printable object based on the print data, while moving the print head and the printable object relative to each other in the sub-scanning direction to form an image represented by the print data on the printable object. The printing apparatus is configured to form an image line by line on the printable object by driving one or more selected elements of the plurality of elements based on the print data. The image represented by the print data consists of a plurality of points defined by the plurality of elements. A line consists of a plurality of sub-line lines. Each sub-line consists of a plurality of sub-dots. A sub-point is a printing unit obtained by dividing a point into M parts in the sub-scanning direction, where M is an integer of 2 or greater. Print data indicates that an open sub-point is a printing area. Print data indicates that a closed sub-point is a non-printing area. Areas outside the printing areas are non-printing areas. The controller is configured to perform: (a) acquisition; (b) editing; and (c) transformation. Acquiring in (a) acquires printing data representing the input image. Editing in (b) edits the printing data acquired in (a) such that when comparing the sub-points constituting the input image represented by the printing data acquired in (a) in columns before and after the editing in (b), overlap is maximized when the image of each column in the input image after the editing in (b) is in the same position as the corresponding image in the input image before the editing in (b) or shifted by a corresponding shift amount in the sub-scanning direction relative to the corresponding image in the input image before the editing in (b). Each column including the sub-points is at least partially aligned continuously from the upstream end to the downstream end in the sub-scanning direction. The absolute value of at least one of the column shifts in the input image after the edit in (b) is 1 point or greater. The transformation in (c) transforms the print data acquired in (a). The transformation in (c) includes: (c-1) determination and (c-2) editing. The determination in (c-1) identifies one or more sub-points included in each sub-line of a line constituting a print area in the input image as transformation sub-points for each sub-line. The editing in (c-2) edits the print data such that, for the one or more sub-points identified as transformation sub-points in (c-1), the print data indication is turned off.

[0006] According to aspect (1), by performing the editing in (b), the print data editing device can edit the print data to suppress the peak current flowing in the print head of the printing device required when printing a line. By performing the conversion in (c) in addition to the editing in (b), the print data editing device can maintain print quality while reducing the possibility that the peak current supplied to the print head of the printing device exceeds the maximum current value that the power supply can provide. By reducing the number of components turned on in a single line, the print data editing device is more likely to achieve a faster printing speed than conventional devices that do not perform the editing in (b) and the conversion in (c). Therefore, compared with conventional devices, the print data editing device with the above structure can edit print data to improve print quality and printing speed.

[0007] (2) In the print data editing device according to aspect (1), preferably, in the editing in (b), the absolute difference between any two adjacent columns in the main scanning direction of the input image after the editing in (b) is 1 point or less, and the absolute difference between the two columns is the absolute value of the difference in the amount of shift between the two columns.

[0008] (3) In the print data editing device according to aspect (1), preferably, in the editing in (b), at least one of the absolute differences of all possible combinations of the two columns in the column is less than 1 point, and the absolute difference of the two columns is the absolute value of the difference of the amount of shift between the two columns.

[0009] (4) In the print data editing device according to any one of aspects (1) to (3), preferably, the conversion in (c) further includes: (c-3) acquisition; (c-4) determination; (c-5) determination and (c-6) determination. Acquiring in (c-3) acquires a sub-point constituting a sub-point of the input image represented by the print data as an object sub-point. Determining in (c-4) determines whether the object sub-point acquired in (c-3) is a printable area. Determining in (c-5) in response to determining in (c-4) that the object sub-point acquired in (c-3) is a printable area, determines whether a reference sub-point is a non-printable area. The reference sub-point is the U-th sub-point located downstream of the object sub-point acquired in (c-3) in the sub-scanning direction, where U is an integer zero or greater. Determining in (c-6) in response to determining in (c-5) that the reference sub-point is a non-printable area, determines the object sub-point acquired in (c-3) as a contour sub-point. In the print data editing device according to any one of aspects (1) to (3), it is also preferable that, in the conversion in (c), the print data is retained as an indication of activation for the contour sub-points determined in (c-6).

[0010] (5) In the print data editing device according to any one of aspects (1) to (3), preferably, the conversion in (c) further includes: (c-3) acquiring; (c-4) determining; (c-5) determining and (c-6) determining. Acquiring in (c-3) acquires a sub-point constituting a sub-point of the input image represented by the print data as an object sub-point. Determining in (c-4) determines whether the object sub-point acquired in (c-3) is a printable area. Determining in (c-5) in response to determining in (c-4) that the object sub-point acquired in (c-3) is a printable area, determines whether at least one of the first reference sub-point, the second reference sub-point, the third reference sub-point, and the fourth reference sub-point is a non-printable area. The first reference sub-point is the U-th sub-point located downstream in the sub-scan direction relative to the object sub-point obtained in (c-3); the second reference sub-point is the D-th sub-point located upstream in the sub-scan direction relative to the object sub-point obtained in (c-3); the third reference sub-point is the L-th sub-point located on one side in the main scan direction relative to the object sub-point obtained in (c-3); and the fourth reference sub-point is the R-th sub-point located on the other side in the main scan direction relative to the object sub-point obtained in (c-3), where U, D, L, and R are integers of zero or greater. The determination in (c-6) is made in response to the determination in (c-5) that at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth reference sub-points is a non-printing area, and the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) is determined as a contour sub-point. In the print data editing device according to any one of aspects (1) to (3), it is also preferable that, in the conversion in (c), the print data is retained as an indication of activation for the contour sub-points determined in (c-6).

[0011] (6) In the print data editing apparatus according to aspect (4), preferably, the conversion in (c) further includes: (c-7) determination. The determination in (c-7) is in response to the determination in (c-5) that the reference sub-point is a non-printing area, and the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) is determined as a conversion candidate sub-point. In the print data editing apparatus according to aspect (4), it is also preferable that, in the determination in (c-1), for each of all sub-line lines constituting a line line within the conversion candidate sub-points in the input image represented by the print data, the controller determines one or more of the conversion candidate sub-points included in the sub-line line as conversion sub-points.

[0012] (7) In the print data editing apparatus according to aspect (5), preferably, the conversion in (c) further includes: (c-7) determination. The determination in (c-7) is in response to the determination in (c-5) that none of the first reference sub-point, the second reference sub-point, the third reference sub-point, and the fourth reference sub-point is a non-printing area, and the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) is determined as a conversion candidate sub-point. In the print data editing apparatus according to aspect (5), it is also preferable that, in the determination in (c1), for each of all sub-line lines constituting a line line within the conversion candidate sub-points in the input image represented by the print data, the controller determines one or more of the conversion candidate sub-points included in the sub-line line as conversion sub-points.

[0013] (8) In a print data editing device according to any one of aspects (1) to (7), preferably, in the editing in (b), the absolute difference between any two adjacent columns in the main scanning direction of the input image after the editing in (b) is 150 µm or less, and the absolute difference between the two columns is the absolute value of the difference in the amount of shift between the two columns.

[0014] (9) Preferably, the print data editing apparatus according to any one of aspects (1) to (8) further includes: a printing device. The printing device includes: a print head; and a transport unit. In the print data editing apparatus according to any one of aspects (1) to (8), it is also preferred that the controller is configured to further perform: (d) execution. After the execution in (d) of the editing in (b) and the conversion in (c), partition printing is performed on a line extending in the main scanning direction within the print data. Partition printing is performed by dividing a plurality of elements into N blocks and sequentially stimulating the N blocks at different timings, such that the peak current flowing in the print head required when printing on a line based on the print data after the editing in (b) and the conversion in (c) is performed is suppressed to a current value less than or equal to the maximum current value that the power supply can supply to the print head, where N is an integer of 2 or greater.

[0015] (10) Preferably, the print data editing apparatus according to any one of aspects (1) to (9) further includes: a printing apparatus. The printing apparatus includes: a print head; and a delivery unit. In the print head, a plurality of elements are a plurality of heating elements arranged linearly in the main scanning direction. In the print data editing apparatus according to any one of aspects (1) to (9), it is also preferred that the controller is configured to print by heating the plurality of heating elements according to the print data after editing in (b) and conversion in (c) to form the input image after editing in (b) and conversion in (c) on the print object.

[0016] (11) In the print data editing device according to aspect (10), preferably, the print object is a thermal recording medium.

[0017] (12) Preferably, the print data editing apparatus according to aspect (6) or (7) further includes: a printing apparatus. The printing apparatus includes: a print head; and a transport unit. In the print head, the plurality of elements are a plurality of heating elements arranged linearly in the main scanning direction; in the print data editing apparatus according to aspect (6) or (7), it is also preferred that the printing object is a thermal recording medium. In the print data editing apparatus according to aspect (6) or (7), it is also preferred that the controller is configured to set a first heating amount for contour sub-points and a second heating amount for conversion candidate sub-points, and to perform printing by heating the plurality of heating elements based on the print data after editing in (b) and conversion in (c) to form the input image after editing in (b) and conversion in (c) on the thermal recording medium. The second heating amount is greater than the first heating amount.

[0018] (13) According to another aspect, this disclosure also provides a method for editing print data. A method for editing print data performed by a controller of a print data editing device. The print data editing device is configured to edit print data to be used in a printing device. The printing device includes: a print head; and a transport unit. The print head includes a plurality of elements. The plurality of elements are linearly arranged in a main scanning direction. The transport unit is configured to move the print object and the print head relative to each other in a sub-scanning direction. The sub-scanning direction intersects the main scanning direction. The print data includes data indicating the on or off status of each of the plurality of elements. The printing device is configured to form an image on the print object based on the print data, while moving the print head and the print object relative to each other in the sub-scanning direction to form an image represented by the print data on the print object. The printing device is configured to form an image line by line on the print object by driving one or more selected elements of the plurality of elements based on the print data. The image represented by the print data consists of a plurality of points defined by the plurality of elements. A line consists of a plurality of sub-line lines. Each sub-line consists of a plurality of sub-points. A sub-point is a printing unit obtained by dividing a point into M parts in the sub-scanning direction, where M is an integer of 2 or greater. Print data indicates that an open sub-point is a printing area. Print data indicates that a closed sub-point is a non-printing area. Areas outside the printing areas are non-printing areas. Print data editing methods include: (a) acquisition; (b) editing; and (c) transformation. Acquiring in (a) acquires print data representing an input image; editing in (b) edits the print data acquired in (a) such that when comparing the sub-points constituting the input image represented by the print data acquired in (a) in columns before and after the editing in (b), overlap is maximized when the image of each column in the input image after the editing in (b) is in the same position as the corresponding image in the input image before the editing in (b) or shifted by a corresponding shift amount in the sub-scanning direction relative to the corresponding image in the input image before the editing in (b). Each column including the sub-points is at least partially aligned continuously from the upstream end to the downstream end in the sub-scanning direction. The absolute value of at least one of the column shifts in the input image after the edit in (b) is 1 point or greater. The transformation in (c) transforms the print data acquired in (a). The transformation in (c) includes: (c-1) determination and (c-2) editing. The determination in (c-1) identifies one or more sub-points included in each sub-line of a line constituting a print area in the input image as transformation sub-points for each sub-line. The editing in (c-2) edits the print data such that, for the one or more sub-points identified as transformation sub-points in (c-1), the print data indication is turned off.

[0019] When performed by the controller of the print data editing device, the print data editing method according to aspect (13) has the same effect as the print information editing device according to aspect (1).

[0020] (14) According to another aspect, this disclosure also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer-readable instruction set for a print data editing apparatus. The print data editing apparatus includes a processor. The processor is configured to edit print data to be used in the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus includes: a print head; and a transport unit. The print head includes a plurality of elements. The plurality of elements are linearly arranged in a main scanning direction. The transport unit is configured to move a printable object and the print head relative to each other in a sub-scanning direction. The sub-scanning direction intersects the main scanning direction. The print data includes data indicating the on or off state of each of the plurality of elements. The printing apparatus is configured to form an image on a printable object based on the print data, while moving the print head and the printable object relative to each other in the sub-scanning direction to form an image represented by the print data on the printable object. The printing apparatus is configured to form an image line by line on the printable object by driving one or more selected elements of the plurality of elements based on the print data. The image represented by the print data consists of a plurality of points defined by the plurality of elements. A line consists of a plurality of sub-line lines. Each sub-line consists of a plurality of sub-dots. A sub-point is a printing unit obtained by dividing a point into M parts in a sub-scanning direction, where M is an integer of 2 or greater. A sub-point indicated by print data as being open is a printing area. A sub-point indicated by print data as being closed is a non-printing area. The area outside the printing area is a non-printing area. When executed by a processor, a computer-readable instruction set causes the print data editing device to perform: (a) acquisition; (b) editing; and (c) transformation. Acquisition in (a) acquires print data representing an input image; Editing in (b) edits the print data acquired in (a) such that when comparing the sub-points constituting the input image represented by the print data acquired in (a) in columns before and after the editing in (b), coincidence is maximized when the image of each column in the input image after the editing in (b) is in the same position as the image of the corresponding column in the input image before the editing in (b) or shifted by a corresponding shift amount in the sub-scanning direction relative to the image of the corresponding column in the input image before the editing in (b). Each column, including sub-points, is continuously aligned from upstream to downstream in the sub-scanning direction, at least partially. The absolute value of at least one of the column shifts in the input image after the edit in (b) is 1 point or greater. The transformation in (c) transforms the print data acquired in (a). The transformation in (c) includes: (c-1) determination; and (c-2) editing. The determination in (c-1) identifies one or more sub-points included in each sub-line of a line constituting a line in the print area of ​​the input image as transformation sub-points. The editing in (c-2) edits the print data such that, for one or more sub-points identified as transformation sub-points in (c-1), the print data indicates a close.

[0021] When executed by the processor of the print data editing device, the computer-readable instruction set stored in the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to aspect (14) has the same effect as the print data editing device according to aspect (1). Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the printing equipment.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of the electrical configuration of the printing equipment.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps in the printing process performed in a printing device.

[0025] Figure 4 This is an illustration of the input image in a specific example.

[0026] Figure 5 This is an illustrative diagram illustrating the processing used to generate high-resolution images.

[0027] Figure 6 This is an illustration showing how to set up an object image.

[0028] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps in the comparison condition acquisition process performed during printing.

[0029] Figure 8 This is an illustration showing the editing method.

[0030] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps in the conversion process performed during printing.

[0031] Figure 10 This is an illustrative diagram showing the conversion process in a specific example where editing was not performed.

[0032] Figure 11 This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the conversion method.

[0033] Figure 12 This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the conversion process in a specific example of the editing process being performed.

[0034] Figure 13 This is an illustrative diagram comparing images before and after editing and transformation processes on boundaries extending in the main scanning direction and included in the image, provided that the absolute value of the difference in displacement between any two adjacent rectangular portions of the image in the main scanning direction is less than or equal to 150 µm.

[0035] Figure 14This is an illustrative diagram showing an example of the processing used to generate a composite image.

[0036] Figure 15 This is an illustrative diagram showing another example of the process used to generate a composite image.

[0037] Figure 16 This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of partitioning processing.

[0038] Figure 17 This is an illustrative diagram showing another example of the partitioning process.

[0039] Figure 18 This is an illustration showing the first, second, and third conditions that must be met in the editing method.

[0040] Figure 19 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps in the conversion process performed during printing operations caused by changes in printing equipment.

[0041] Figure 20 This is an illustrative diagram comparing images before and after editing and transformation processes on boundaries extending in the main scanning direction and included in the image, provided that the absolute value of the difference in displacement between any two adjacent rectangular portions of the image in the main scanning direction is less than or equal to 300 µm. Detailed Implementation

[0042] A printing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are used to illustrate the technical features that may be made using the present invention. In other words, the configuration and control of the apparatus depicted in the drawings are not limited thereto, but are merely illustrative examples.

[0043] like Figure 1 As shown, printing device 1 is a thermal printer capable of printing characters (such as letters, symbols, numbers, and graphics) on a printing object F. For example, the printing object F is not limited to any specific medium and can be in the form of paper or magnetic tape. In this embodiment, the printing object F is a sheet of paper with a thermal recording medium. Printing device 1 also functions as a print data editing device for editing print data.

[0044] The printing device 1 is provided with a housing 2, an input unit 3, a communication unit 4, a transport unit 5, and a print head 6. The housing 2 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, which is longer in the left-right direction than in the front-back and top-bottom directions. The housing 2 houses the transport unit 5 and the print head 6. Figure 2The power supply 10 shown is removably housed within the housing 2. The power supply 10 supplies power to the printing device 1. An insertion opening 21 is formed in the top surface of the housing 2, and a discharge opening 22 is formed in the front surface of the housing 2. The insertion opening 21 and the discharge opening 22 are each formed in a rectangular shape elongated in the left-right direction. The printing object F is inserted into the printing device 1 through the insertion opening 21 and discharged from the printing device 1 through the discharge opening 22. An input unit 3 is disposed on the top surface of the housing 2 near its left end. The input unit 3 includes multiple buttons. A communication unit 4 is a USB port provided on the right surface of the housing 2. The communication unit 4 can be connected to a USB cable connector.

[0045] The conveying unit 5 is provided with a motor 51 and rollers 52, such as Figure 2 As shown. A roller 52 is provided in the upper front section inside the housing 2, centered on an axis extending in the left-right direction. A motor 51 rotates the roller 52. By rotating the roller 52, the printable object F is conveyed in the transport direction TR, and the transport unit 5 moves the printable object F relative to the print head 6. The transport direction TR is orthogonal to the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the transport direction TR extends diagonally from the upper rear side to the lower front side. In the following description, the upper rear side of the transport direction TR will be referred to as the upstream side, and the lower front side will be referred to as the downstream side.

[0046] The printhead 6 is positioned below the roller 52. The printhead 6 is a connector comprising multiple components 61 and a driver IC 62, such as... Figure 2 As shown. In this embodiment, element 61 is a heating element that generates heat when excited. Element 61 prints on the printing object F by generating heat while in contact with the printing object F, which is pressed down by roller 52. Driver IC 62 selectively excites element 61 to generate heat therein.

[0047] Next, the electrical configuration of printing device 1 will be described in accordance with... Figure 2Description. In addition to the communication unit 4, input unit 3, transport unit 5, and printhead 6 described above, the printing device 1 is provided with a CPU 7, RAM 8, and storage unit 9. The transport unit 5 is provided with a motor 51 and rollers 52. The printhead 6 is provided with a driver IC 62 and multiple components 61. The CPU 7 controls the printing device 1. The CPU 7 is electrically connected to the RAM 8, storage unit 9, communication unit 4, input unit 3, motor 51, and driver IC 62. The RAM 8 stores various variables and other temporary data. The storage unit 9 stores programs executed by the CPU 7 to control the printing device 1, such as the print data editing program described later. The storage unit 9 also stores print data and various setting information. The communication unit 4 is a controller for communicating with an external device W via a USB cable. The external device W is a well-known information processing device, such as a PC, desktop computer, or smartphone.

[0048] Next, the printing operation performed on the printing device 1 will be described. The printing device 1 selectively excites the elements 61 in the print head 6 based on the printing data. The elements 61 apply heat energy to the area of ​​the printable object F that is in contact with the excited elements 61. Through this process, the printing device 1 forms rows of pixels aligned in the main scanning direction X, corresponding to the array of elements 61. While the drive motor 51 rotates the roller 52, the printing device 1 intermittently excites the elements 61 multiple times to transport the printable object F downstream in the transport direction TR. Therefore, in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the pixels are aligned in a line image, the printing device 1 forms multiple parallel lines on the printable object F. The multiple lines form a printed image on the printable object F with shadows depending on whether each pixel is formed or not. The above operation will be referred to as the "printing operation".

[0049] In the following description, the direction in which elements 61 are aligned will be referred to as the "main scan direction X," and the print unit corresponding to a single pixel row extending in the main scan direction X will be referred to as a "row line." The direction in which multiple row lines are arranged side by side will be referred to as the "sub-scan direction Y." The sub-scan direction Y is defined by the transport direction TR. The print unit corresponding to a single element 61 will be referred to as a "pixel" or "dot." The print unit resulting from dividing a "dot" into multiple parts in the sub-scan direction Y will be referred to as a "subdot." The print unit corresponding to a row of subdots aligned in the main scan direction X will be referred to as a "sub-row line."

[0050] Next, use Figure 4 The input image G shown is a specific example and will be referred to Figures 3 to 18 Describe the printing process performed on printing device 1. For example... Figure 4 As illustrated, the input image G is an image representing an invoice in English text to be printed on A4-sized thermal paper. Figure 4 In the input image G, the left-right direction corresponds to the main scanning direction X, and the up-down direction corresponds to the sub-scanning direction Y. The left side of the input image G corresponds to the first side X1 in the main scanning direction X, and the right side of the input image G corresponds to the second side X2 in the main scanning direction X. The top of the input image G corresponds to the downstream side Y1 in the sub-scanning direction, and the bottom of the input image G corresponds to the upstream side Y2 in the sub-scanning direction Y. The input image G includes multiple boundaries G1 to G4 extending along the main scanning direction X, multiple boundaries G5 and G6 extending along the sub-scanning direction Y, a barcode G7, and text regions T1 to T7. Figure 6 , 8 In 14 and 15, text regions T1 to T7 are schematically represented by shaded rectangles. Within the print area defined by the print data, the area configured by the print data for open sub-points is referred to as the "print area," while the area configured by the print data for closed sub-points is referred to as the "non-print area." In this embodiment, areas outside the print area are also considered non-print areas.

[0051] The user selects the input image G to be printed, specifies one of the following regions as needed: a feature region, an object region, and a non-object region, and then inputs a start command via input unit 3. A feature region is a unique portion of the input image G, such as a barcode, that should not be subject to editing and conversion processing as described later. In this example, region P4, including barcode G7, is identified as a feature region based on information received using the input image G or through pattern matching. An object region is a portion of the input image G specified by the user for editing and conversion processing. In this example, region P1, including boundary G1, region P2, including boundary G2, and region P3, including boundary G3, have been designated as object regions. A non-object region is a portion of the input image G specified by the user for which no editing or conversion processing is required. In this example, region P4 is designated as a non-object region.

[0052] When a start command is detected, CPU 7 reads the print data editing program for performing print processing from storage unit 9 into RAM 8. CPU 7 then executes the print processing with the following steps according to the instructions included in the print data editing program. Various data obtained during the print processing are stored in storage unit 9 as appropriate. In the following text, "step" will be abbreviated as "S". Figure 5 , 10In figures 12 and 16 to 18, some sub-dots corresponding to the print data are depicted in a matrix. Sub-dots designated as "on" in the print data are depicted as shaded, while sub-dots designated as "off" in the print data are left white. The left-right and up-down directions in these figures correspond to the main scan direction X and the sub-scan direction Y, respectively. The column names, represented by numbers, indicate the identifiers assigned to each of the elements 61 in the order from the first side X1 to the second side X2 in the main scan direction X. The row names, represented by numbers, indicate the identifiers of each row line to be printed by the element 61. The printing device 1 forms an image on the print object F in ascending order of row line numbers.

[0053] exist Figure 3 In step S1, CPU 7 acquires image data representing the input image G. The image data corresponds to multiple elements 61 aligned in the main scanning direction X. Here, CPU 7 may acquire the image data from an external device W, for example, via communication unit 4. This image data may be generated by the external device W, and its resolution in the sub-scanning direction Y may be higher than the resolution defined by the elements 61. CPU 7 may also acquire image data generated by the external device W, whose resolution is not higher than the resolution in the sub-scanning direction Y defined by the elements 61. CPU 7 may also acquire image data from storage unit 9 or image data edited through operations on input unit 3.

[0054] In S2, CPU 7 determines whether to perform resolution enhancement processing. Resolution enhancement processing is performed on the image data representing the input image G acquired in S1 to improve the resolution of the image data in the sub-scanning direction Y by dividing each row line in the sub-scanning direction Y. Here, for example, if the image data acquired in S1 is generated by an external device W and its resolution in the sub-scanning direction Y is higher than the resolution defined by element 61, CPU 7 does not perform resolution enhancement processing. For example, if the resolution of the image data acquired in S1 in the sub-scanning direction Y is not greater than the resolution defined by element 61, CPU 7 performs resolution enhancement processing.

[0055] When CPU 7 determines that resolution enhancement processing is to be executed (S2: Yes), in S3, CPU 7 performs resolution enhancement processing to improve the resolution of image data in the sub-scan direction Y by dividing each line line in the sub-scan direction Y. Figure 5In the example, CPU 7 divides each line into three equal parts in the sub-scan direction Y. The number of divisions in each line can be modified as needed. By equally dividing each line in the sub-scan direction Y, the printing start timing of the sub-line is set to an equal period. Here, three consecutive sub-points in the sub-scan direction Y correspond to one point. CPU 7 sets all sub-points generated by dividing the printing area into printing areas as printing areas. On the other hand, CPU 7 sets all sub-points generated by dividing the non-printing area into non-printing areas. When CPU 7 determines that resolution enhancement processing is not performed (S2: No), in S4, CPU 7 does not process the input image G acquired in S1.

[0056] Following S3 or S4, in S5, CPU 7 determines whether the feature region P4 has been set in the input image G acquired in S1. If the feature region P4 has been set in the input image G (S5: Yes), in S6, CPU 7 sets the non-feature region H as the object image to be edited. Figure 8 The object image H shown in the middle, such as Figure 6 As shown in the lower left corner. The non-feature region H is a portion of the high-resolution image generated in S3 or the input image G (excluding the feature region P4) in S4. The processing in S6 sets the object image so that if a specific pattern is included in the input image G, that specific pattern will not be edited.

[0057] When the feature region is not set in the input image G (S5: No), in S7, CPU 7 determines whether the object region has been set in the input image G acquired in S1. When object regions P1 to P3 have been set in the input image G (S7: Yes), in S8, CPU 7 sets these object regions P1 to P3 as the object image, such as... Figure 6 As shown in the lower right corner. The processing settings in S8 set the object image so that when object regions P1 to P3 are specified in the input image G, the editing process is performed only on object regions P1 to P3, and not on non-object regions (i.e., regions other than object regions P1 to P3).

[0058] When the non-object region P4 has already been set in the input image G, CPU 7 determines that the region other than the non-object region P4 has been set as the object region (S7: Yes). In S8, CPU 7 determines that region H of the high-resolution image generated in S3 or the input image G of S4 (excluding the non-object region P4) is the object region, and sets that object region as the object image, such as... Figure 6As shown in the lower left corner. The processing in S8 sets the object image so that when a non-object region P4 has already been specified in the input image G, no editing processing is performed on the non-object region P4, but only on the object region H, which does not include the non-object region P4. If the object region is not set in the input image G, that is, neither an object region nor a non-object region is specified in the input image G (S7: No), then in S9, the CPU 7 sets the high-resolution image generated in S3 or the input image G in S4 as the object image.

[0059] Following S6, S8, or S9, in S10, CPU 7 performs a comparison condition acquisition process. This process acquires conditions used to determine whether to perform editing processing. In this embodiment, as factors used in determining whether to perform editing processing, CPU 7 acquires the print speed when editing processing is performed and the print speed when editing processing is not performed. Editing processing is performed to reduce the number of peak values ​​(hereinafter referred to as "number of on points") of the element 61 to be activated, and involves moving multiple sub-points along a given line in the sub-scan direction Y according to predetermined rules to distribute the sub-points among the multiple line lines.

[0060] like Figure 7 As shown, in the comparison condition acquisition process S31, the CPU 7 acquires the printing speed when editing processing is not performed. When the number of open points of a line is greater than a threshold, the CPU 7 divides the element 61 of that line into multiple blocks. Then, the printing device 1 prints a line image by different timing excitation blocks (i.e., by dividing the excitation of element 61 into multiple times corresponding to the number of blocks). Printing in this way is called "division printing". The printing speed of division printing is slower than the speed when division printing is not performed, depending on the number of lines and blocks in those lines. Taking into account the number of lines and blocks to be used in division printing, the CPU 7 acquires the printing speed when editing processing is not performed.

[0061] In S32, CPU 7 selects the editing method to be used in the current editing process from a plurality of editing methods. This editing method can be specified by the user, or it can be selected by CPU 7 based on the type, size, etc. of the input image G. In this embodiment, printing device 1 can select one of six different types of editing methods. Here, an example of applying each of these six types of editing methods to the object region H will be referred to... Figure 8 describe.

[0062] The first through fourth editing methods all divide the object image into multiple partial images, each with one or more column units, and the printed data is edited by shifting each of the partial images in the sub-scanning direction Y by an amount corresponding to the sliding of that partial image. More specifically, CPU 7 divides the object image into J rectangular partial images elongated in the sub-scanning direction Y (where J is a natural number). CPU 7 then moves each partial image along the sub-scanning direction Y within a range starting from the initial position indicated by the dashed line PM. This range conforms to editing conditions including the three conditions described below. Here, J can be set as needed, but in this embodiment it is 10. When the object image includes boundaries in the longitudinal direction parallel to the sub-scanning direction Y (such as boundaries G5 and G6 in the input image G), CPU 7 can adjust the length of the rectangular partial images in the main scanning direction X such that the boundary portions in the longitudinal direction parallel to the sub-scanning direction Y are not arranged on the boundary between two adjacent rectangular partial images in the main scanning direction X. Note that the length of each rectangular partial image in the sub-scanning direction y can be the same or different from each other.

[0063] The first condition is that when comparing the object image and the printed image in column units (each column unit includes multiple points continuously aligned in the sub-scanning direction Y, from the upstream end DE of the upstream side Y2 in the sub-scanning direction Y to the downstream end UE of the downstream side Y1 in the sub-scanning direction Y), when the columns of the printed image are in the same position as the corresponding columns of the object image, or when the columns of the printed image are shifted by a corresponding shift amount relative to the corresponding columns of the object image in the sub-scanning direction Y, the overlap between the images included in each column of the printed image and the images included in the corresponding columns of the object image is maximized, and the maximum value of the absolute value of the shift amounts of the multiple columns is at least one point.

[0064] When comparing the on / off values ​​of sub-points at the same position in the main scan direction X for an object image and a printed image, coincidence is obtained by dividing the number of sub-points whose on / off values ​​match by the number of sub-points in that column. Coincidence is a number between 0 and 1. The shift amounts for multiple columns are the shift amounts used to maximize the coincidence of the corresponding columns. The shift amount is expressed as a positive value when a portion of the image is shifted downstream in the sub-scan direction Y by Y1, and as a negative value when a portion of the image is shifted upstream in the sub-scan direction Y by Y2.

[0065] The second condition is that the absolute difference between any two adjacent columns in the main scan direction X is one point or less. The absolute difference between two columns is the absolute value of the difference in the amount of shift between the two columns. The third condition is that at least one of the absolute differences of all possible combinations of two columns is less than one point, represented by a sub-point formed by dividing the point into multiple equal parts in the sub-scan direction Y.

[0066] For example, when targeting Figure 18 When comparing the on / off values ​​of sub-points at the same position in the columns of the input image J1 and the printed image J2 shown, the overlap is the maximum value, that is, it is 1 when the point is shifted by -3 sub-points, -2 sub-points, -2 sub-points, -1 sub-points, -1 sub-points, 0 sub-points, and 0 sub-points in the sub-scanning direction Y for columns 1 to 7. Since three sub-points are equivalent to one point in this example, the input image J1 and the printed image J2 satisfy the first condition. Furthermore, since the absolute value of the difference in shift between any two adjacent columns in the main scan direction X (i.e., the absolute difference between any two adjacent columns in the main scan direction X) is 1 sub-point or 0 sub-points, the input image J1 and the printed image J2 satisfy the second and third conditions.

[0067] On the other hand, when columns 1 to 7 are compared sequentially from the first side X1 to the second side X2 in the main scanning direction X between the input image J1 and the printed image J4 (the printed image J4 is generated in a conversion process (described later) performed after the editing process to change some print data in the print area from open to closed), the shift amounts are the same, but the overlap of columns with identifiers 2 to 6 is 14 / 15 (less than 1). Because the shift amount of each column when comparing the input image J1 with the printed image J4 is the same as the offset of each column when comparing the input image J1 with the printer image J2, the input image J1 and the printed image J4 also satisfy each of the first, second, and third conditions.

[0068] The length of a point in the sub-scanning direction Y varies depending on the resolution of the printed image. The length of a point in the sub-scanning direction Y also depends on the resolution of element 61, but falls within a general range of 20 to 170 µm. Therefore, the second condition could be that the absolute value of the difference in displacement between any two adjacent columns in the main scanning direction X (i.e., the absolute difference between any two adjacent columns in the main scanning direction X) is less than or equal to 150 µm. In this embodiment, the CPU 7 further edits the object image such that the absolute value of the displacement in the central region of the main scanning direction X is minimized. The region corresponding to the continuous printing area in the input image J1 is also continuous in the printed images J2 and J4.

[0069] In the first editing method, if the sliding amount used to shift a portion of the image upstream to the Y2 side in the sub-scanning direction Y is negative and the sliding amount used to shift a portion of the image downstream to the Y1 side in the sub-scanning direction Y is positive, then the object image is edited such that the sliding amount is the larger value from the first side X1 to the second side X2 in the main scanning direction X, that is, in the direction of 90 degrees clockwise from the downstream side Y1 in the sub-scanning direction Y. More specifically, as Figure 8As shown, when the first editing method is applied Figure 8 When the object image H is shown in the middle, the CPU 7 sets the specified amounts E1 to E10 of the first rectangular portion image to the tenth rectangular portion image, starting from the first side X1 in the main scanning direction X, to -5 sub-points, -4 sub-points, -3 sub-points, -2 sub-points, -1 sub-point, 0 sub-points, 1 sub-point, 2 sub-points, 3 sub-points, and 4 sub-points respectively to generate the edited image H1. In the first editing method, the difference between the sliding amounts of any two adjacent columns is 1 sub-point, and is a value less than one point, represented by sub-points formed by dividing the point into multiple equal parts in the sub-scanning direction Y. The maximum absolute value of the sliding amount is 5 sub-points, which is greater than or equal to one point.

[0070] Similarly, in the second editing method, if the sliding amount used to shift a portion of the image upstream to the Y2 side in the sub-scanning direction Y is negative and the sliding amount used to shift a portion of the image downstream to the Y1 side in the sub-scanning direction Y is positive, the object image is edited such that the sliding amount is the smaller value from the first side X1 to the second side X2 in the main scanning direction X (i.e., in the direction of 90 degrees clockwise from the downstream side Y1 in the sub-scanning direction Y). More specifically, when the second editing method is applied to the object image H, the CPU 7 sets the sliding amounts E1 to E10 from the first rectangular portion image to the tenth rectangular portion image starting from the first side X1 in the main scanning direction X to 5 sub-points, 4 sub-points, 3 sub-points, 2 sub-points, 1 sub-point, 0 sub-points, -1 sub-point, -2 sub-points, -3 sub-points, and -4 sub-points, respectively, to generate the edited image H2.

[0071] In the third editing method, the object image is edited such that there is only one extreme value in the sliding amount in the main scanning direction X. More specifically, when the third editing method is applied to the object image H, the CPU 7 sets the shift amounts E1 to E10 of the first rectangular portion image to the tenth rectangular portion image starting from the first side X1 in the main scanning direction X to -4 sub-points, -3 sub-points, -2 sub-points, -1 sub-point, 0 sub-points, -1 sub-point, -2 sub-point, -3 sub-point, -4 sub-point, and -5 sub-points respectively to generate the edited image H3. The extreme value in the third editing method is 0 sub-points, corresponding to the fifth portion image from the first side X1.

[0072] In the fourth editing method, the object image is edited such that there are only two or more extreme values ​​in the sliding amount in the main scanning direction X. More specifically, when the fourth editing method is applied to the object image H, the CPU 7 sets the sliding amounts E1 to E10 from the first rectangular portion image to the tenth rectangular portion image starting from the first side X1 in the main scanning direction X to -3 sub-points, -2 sub-points, -1 sub-points, 0 sub-points, 0 sub-points, -1 sub-points, -2 sub-points, -3 sub-points, -2 sub-points, and -1 sub-points, respectively, to generate the edited image H4. The extreme values ​​in the fourth editing method are the 0 sub-points corresponding to the fourth and fifth portion images from the first side X1 and the -3 sub-points corresponding to the eighth portion image from the first side X1.

[0073] In the fifth editing method, the object image is rotated clockwise by a predetermined angle around a reference. In the sixth editing method, the object image is rotated counterclockwise by a predetermined angle around a reference. For example, in this embodiment, the reference is set to the center of the object image to minimize the absolute value of the amount of slippage relative to the main scanning direction X in the central area. The appropriate predetermined angle is set based on the size of the printed object F, the object image, etc. For example, the predetermined angle is a value between 0 and 10 degrees, preferably less than or equal to 1 degree, and more preferably less than or equal to 0.5 degrees. When the fifth editing method is applied to the object image H with a predetermined angle of 1 degree, the CPU 7 generates an edited image H5, and when the sixth editing method is applied to the object image H with a predetermined angle of 1 degree, an edited image H6 is generated.

[0074] Similar to the first through fourth editing methods, when comparing the sliding amounts E1 to E10 of the partial images when the object image is divided into J rectangular partial images elongated along the sub-scanning direction Y, all of the first, second, and third conditions are met in the edited image H5 where the fifth editing method is applied and the edited image H6 where the sixth editing method is applied. When the fifth or sixth editing method is applied to the object image, the following conditions are satisfied: when the object image is rotated around the reference by a specified angle, the overlap with the printed image is maximized; and the farthest region of the object image moves more than one point from the reference.

[0075] In S33, CPU 7 uses the editing method obtained in S32 to generate an edit image to edit the object image. In S34, CPU 7 obtains the printing speed for printing the edit image generated in S33. CPU 7 obtains the printing speed during editing processing, taking into account the number of lines and blocks to be used in the print division. Subsequently, CPU 7 ends the above comparison condition acquisition process and returns to... Figure 3 Printing process.

[0076] Following the processing in S10, in S11, CPU 7 determines whether to perform editing processing on the object image. The criteria used to determine whether to perform editing processing on the object image can be set as appropriate. For example, CPU 7 can use a criterion selected by the user from multiple determining criteria, or CPU 7 itself can select the determining criterion based on the type, size, etc. of the input image G.

[0077] For example, when the object image includes a specified number or more boundaries extending at least a specified length in the main scanning direction X, the CPU 7 can determine that editing processing should be performed. The specified length and the specified number of boundaries can be set as appropriate. For example, if the specified length is set to half the size of the object image in the main scanning direction X and the specified number is 3, the CPU 7 determines that editing processing should be performed because the object image H includes three boundaries G1 to G3, which are longer than half the size of the object image in the main scanning direction X.

[0078] Alternatively, the CPU 7 may perform editing processing when the image data contains rows where the ratio of the peak current required in printhead 6 to the maximum current that can be output from power supply 10 is greater than a threshold. Alternatively, the CPU 7 may perform editing processing when printing based on edited print data generated from the editing processing results in a faster printing speed compared to when no editing was performed by the editing processing. In other words, the CPU 7 may perform editing processing when the printing speed obtained in S34 is faster than the printing speed obtained in S31. If the number of peak values ​​of open points in the edited image is less than the number of peak values ​​in the object image, then the printing speed obtained in S34 may be faster than the printing speed obtained in S31.

[0079] If CPU 7 determines that editing processing is to be performed (S11: Yes), then in S12, CPU 7 edits the object image using the editing method obtained in S32. For example, if the first editing method is to be applied to the object image H, such as... Figure 8 As shown, CPU 7 edits the print data to generate data representing the edited image H1. When editing is performed on an object image already set in S9, CPU 7 performs editing on the entire input image G or the entire high-resolution image. When editing is performed on an object image already set in S6 or S8, CPU 7 performs editing on a portion of the input image G or a portion of the high-resolution image. If the object image has been set as object regions P1 to P3 in S8, CPU 7 performs editing on only a portion of the input image G or the high-resolution image in the sub-scan direction Y. If editing is not performed (S11: No), then in S13, CPU 7 generates print data from the image data without editing the object image.

[0080] Following the processing in S12 or S13, in S14, CPU 7 determines whether to perform conversion processing. Conversion processing is performed to transform the print data to reduce the number of open dots in the lines. The criteria used to determine whether to perform conversion processing can be preset by the user, or CPU 7 can automatically determine the criteria based on the type and size of the print data, print speed, print quality, number of open dots, etc. If CPU 7 determines that conversion processing should not be performed (S14: No), then in S16, CPU 7 does not perform conversion processing on the object image generated in S12 or S13. If CPU 7 determines that editing processing should be performed (S14: Yes), then in S15, CPU 7 performs conversion processing on the object image generated in S12 or S13.

[0081] When a print unit obtained by dividing the point defined by element 61 into M parts in the sub-scanning direction Y is defined as a sub-point (where M is an integer of 2 or greater), multiple sub-points aligned in the main scanning direction X are defined as sub-lines, sub-points with print data enabled are defined as print areas, and areas outside the print areas or sub-points with print data disabled are defined as non-print areas. In the conversion process, CPU 7 changes the image data or print data of one or more sub-points in each of the sub-lines of at least one line in the print area from enabled to disabled. In the following text, sub-points whose image data or print data is changed from enabled to disabled in the conversion process will be referred to as "converted sub-points".

[0082] Next, the conversion process will refer to Figure 9 The flowchart in and using Figures 10 to 12 The diagram below illustrates the area of ​​a printed image represented by print data. Figure 9 In step S40, CPU 7 acquires the contour conditions. In this embodiment, printing device 1 can specify whether the print data should be modified for the contour region of the print area configured by the sub-points enabled by the print data. Specifically, CPU 7 uses variables U, D, L, and R to specify the range of the contour region unaffected by the conversion process. For a single continuous print area, variable U is set to define the contour range of the downstream side Y1 in the sub-scanning direction Y, variable D is set to define the contour range of the upstream side Y2 in the sub-scanning direction Y, variable L is set to define the contour range of the first side X1 in the main scanning direction X, and variable R is set to define the contour range of the second side X2 in the main scanning direction X. Variables U, D, L, and R can be the same value or different values ​​from each other, provided that they are all integers of 0 or greater. Variables U, D, L, and R can be set by the user or automatically set according to the type of the object image, etc. In this embodiment, variables U, D, L, and R are 2, 1, 1, and 1, respectively.

[0083] In S41, CPU 7 acquires one of multiple sub-points from the print data to be used as object sub-points. For example, CPU 7 acquires object sub-points sequentially from the left side (first side X1) to the right side (second side X2) and from the top side (downstream side Y1) to the bottom side (upstream side Y2) of the object image. In S42, CPU 7 determines whether the object sub-point is a printable area based on the print data of the object sub-points acquired in S41. If the print data corresponding to the object sub-point is closed (S42: No), then in S47, CPU 7 keeps the print data of that object sub-point closed, and in S48, determines whether all sub-points in the print data were acquired as object sub-points in the processing of S41. If any sub-points are still not acquired in S41 (S48: No), CPU 7 returns to S41 and acquires the next object sub-point in the acquisition order.

[0084] exist Figure 10 In the example, object sub-point TS1 is depicted with a diagonal shading line. Since the print data corresponding to object sub-point TS1 is enabled (S42: Yes), in S43, CPU 7 determines whether the downstream reference region is a non-printing region. The downstream reference region is one or more sub-points located downstream of the object sub-point Y1 in the sub-scan direction Y. In this embodiment, the downstream reference region is the U-th sub-point located downstream of the object sub-point Y1 in the sub-scan direction Y. The downstream reference region of object sub-point TS1 is sub-point UR1 depicted with lattice shading. Since the print data of sub-point UR1 is disabled (S43: Yes), in S46, CPU 7 determines object sub-point TS1 as a contour sub-point constituting the contour region, thereby keeping the print data of object sub-point TS enabled. Subsequently, CPU 7 proceeds to S48 as described above. In this way, when one of the multiple sub-points is a printable area (S42: Yes), the CPU 7 sets the reference sub-point of the object sub-point to the U-th sub-point on the downstream side Y of that object sub-point in the sub-scan direction Y (where U is any integer 0 or greater). If the reference sub-point is a non-printable area (S43: Yes), the CPU 7 assumes that the object sub-point is a contour sub-point, and in S46, the image data or print data of the contour sub-point is kept on.

[0085] When the object sub-point TS2, depicted with a diagonal shading line, is acquired in S41 (S42: Yes), the downstream reference region of object sub-point TS2 is sub-point UR2, depicted with lattice shading. Since the printing data for sub-point UR2 is enabled (S43: No), in S44, CPU 7 determines whether any peripheral reference region is a non-printing region. A peripheral reference region is one or more sub-points surrounding the object sub-point. For example, a peripheral reference region includes the Lth sub-point on the first side X1 relative to the object sub-point in the main scan direction X, the Rth sub-point on the second side X2 relative to the object sub-point in the main scan direction X, and the Dth sub-point on the upstream side Y2 relative to the object sub-point in the sub-scan direction Y. If at least one peripheral reference region is a non-printing region (S44: Yes), CPU 7 proceeds to S46 as described above. Therefore, when one of the multiple sub-points is a printable area (S42: Yes), in S46, if any one of the following sub-points relative to the object sub-point—the U-th sub-point of the downstream side Y1 in the sub-scanning direction Y, the D-th sub-point of the upstream side Y2 in the sub-scanning direction Y, the L-th sub-point of the first side X1 in the main scanning direction X, and the R-th sub-point of the second side X2 in the main scanning direction X—is a non-printable area (S43: Yes or S44: Yes), the CPU 7 determines the object sub-point as a contour sub-point. In this case, in S46, the CPU 7 keeps the image data or print data of the contour sub-point enabled.

[0086] The peripheral reference region of object sub-point TS2 is sub-points CR1, CR2, and CR3 depicted by lattice shading. Since the print data for sub-points CR1, CR2, and CR3 is off in this example (S44: No), in S45, CPU 7 stores object sub-point TS2 as a conversion candidate sub-point and proceeds to S48 above. Through the processing from S41 to S48, Figure 10 In the partial image B1 shown at the top, a portion of the printed area R1 contains sub-points that are set as contour sub-points, which constitute... Figure 10In the partial image B2 shown in the middle, the region R3 is depicted with a dark shading, while the sub-points in the remaining region R4 are set as conversion candidate sub-points. Therefore, when one of the multiple sub-points is a printable region (S42: Yes), in S45, if all of the following sub-points relative to the object sub-point—the U-th sub-point of the downstream side Y1 in the sub-scanning direction Y, the D-th sub-point of the upstream side Y2 in the sub-scanning direction Y, the L-th sub-point of the first side X1 in the main scanning direction X, and the R-th sub-point of the second side X2 in the main scanning direction X—are printable regions (S43: No or S44: No), the CPU 7 sets that object sub-point as a conversion candidate sub-point. Through subsequent processing in S49 to S53, the CPU 7 changes the print data of one or more conversion candidate sub-points in all sub-lines of at least one line within all conversion candidate sub-points in the image data from on to off (S51, S52).

[0087] Once all sub-points have been identified as object sub-points in S41 (S48: Yes), in S49, CPU 7 acquires a method for transforming one or more candidate sub-points that have been stored in S45. The transformation method can be specified by the user, or it can be selected by CPU 7 based on the type and size of the input image G, printing speed, printing quality, etc. In this embodiment, printing device 1 can select one of four transformation methods.

[0088] Next, the four transformation methods applied to a portion of image V will be referred to Figure 11 Description. Partial image V is an image with five points in the sub-scan direction Y and seven points in the main scan direction X. Among the sub-points of the partial image V, those sub-points depicted with dark shading are set as contour sub-points, while those sub-points depicted with light shading are set as transformation candidate sub-points.

[0089] In the first conversion method, the printed data of the conversion candidate sub-points is changed from on to off at a ratio of B / C (where B and C are natural numbers) in the main scan direction X and at a ratio of B / C in the sub-scan direction Y. B / C is appropriately set to a value greater than 0 and less than 1, and is preferably set to a value no greater than 0.5. Figure 11 In the example, B / C is 1 / 5. If, when applying the first transformation method, there are fractions along the main scan direction X and the sub-scan direction Y among the transformation candidate sub-points, then... Figure 11If the portion of image V1 is the same, then CPU 7 can apply the first conversion method within the range where the first conversion method can be applied, and can apply another method to the remaining region, just like the portion of image V1. Considering that the score appears in the conversion candidate sub-points along the main scan direction X and the sub-scan direction Y when the first conversion method is applied, CPU 7 can set B / C to the object value, and can set the number of conversion sub-points to be changed from on to off as close as possible to the object value.

[0090] In the second conversion method, when the printed data of the object sub-point is "on" and the adjacent sub-points on the upstream side Y2 and downstream side Y1 of the sub-scan direction Y are conversion sub-points, the CPU 7 retains the printed data of the object sub-point as "on". That is, the second conversion method converts the printed data so that the conversion sub-points to be changed from "on" to "off" are discontinuous in the sub-scan direction Y, and... Figure 11 Some of the images in V2 are the same.

[0091] In the third conversion method, when the printed data of the object sub-point is "on" and at least one adjacent sub-point in the main scan direction X is a conversion sub-point, CPU 7 retains the printed data of the object sub-point as "on". That is, the third conversion method converts the printed data so that the conversion sub-point to be changed from "on" to "off" is discontinuous in the main scan direction X, and... Figure 11 Some of the images in V3 are the same.

[0092] In the fourth conversion method, when the print data of the object sub-point is "on" and at least one of the eight peripheral sub-points of the object sub-point is a conversion sub-point, CPU 7 retains the print data of the object sub-point as "on". That is, the fourth conversion method converts the print data so that the conversion sub-points to be changed from "on" to "off" are not consecutive in any of the eight directions. Figure 11 In the middle, eight directions are directed towards the top, upper right, right, lower right, bottom, lower left, left, and upper left of the object sub-point. In the second to fourth conversion methods, the ratio of the converted sub-point to the converted candidate sub-point can be set as needed in the main scan direction X and the sub-scan direction Y.

[0093] In S50, CPU 7 acquires a transition candidate sub-line, which is a sub-line formed by one or more transition candidate sub-points stored in S45 according to a predetermined order. In this embodiment, CPU 7 acquires transition candidate sub-lines sequentially from the downstream side Y1 in the sub-scan direction Y. For example, CPU 7 acquires the farthest transition candidate sub-line CL in the downstream side Y1 of the sub-scan direction Y of region R4 (i.e., the most downstream transition candidate sub-line in the sub-scan direction Y of region R4), such as... Figure 10As shown in the middle. In S51, CPU 7 uses the conversion method obtained in S49 to set conversion sub-points from the conversion candidate sub-points in the conversion candidate sub-line obtained in S50. For example, CPU 7 sets sub-point CS1 in the conversion candidate sub-line CL as the conversion sub-point. In S52, CPU 7 changes the print data of the sub-point that has been set as a conversion sub-point in S51 from on to off. In S53, CPU 7 determines whether all conversion candidate sub-line has been acquired in the processing of S50. If any sub-line is still not acquired in S50 (S53: No), CPU 7 returns to S50. Once all conversion candidate sub-line has been acquired in S50 (S53: Yes), CPU 7 ends the conversion processing and returns to Figure 3 Printing process.

[0094] As an example, when the fourth transformation method is applied Figure 10 When the middle portion of image B2 is used, the middle portion of image B2 is converted to... Figure 10 The partial image B3 shown at the bottom has had its print data used to convert sub-points CS1 to CS5 changed from on to off. On the other hand, if the fourth conversion method is applied in S15 to the partial image C1 that has already undergone the first editing method in S12, then partial image C1 is converted to partial image C2, where the print data is modified, such as... Figure 12 As illustrated. If the resolution is 165 dpi and editing is performed using the second editing method, where the absolute value of the difference in the amount of sliding between any two adjacent portions of the image along the main scanning direction X is 150 µm or less, then when editing and transforming boundaries extending along the main scanning direction X with thicknesses of 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, or 16 points, as shown... Figure 13 As shown, CPU 7 can reduce the number of on-points while tilting the boundary to a level that is not visually noticeable.

[0095] More specifically, in Figure 20 Under the conditions of the comparison example shown, having Figure 13 The edited portions in the printed image under the conditions shown are less noticeable than those edited using the second editing method, where the resolution is 165 dpi and the absolute value of the difference in the amount of sliding between any two adjacent portions of the image in the main scan direction X is 300 µm. Note that at a resolution of 165 dpi, the length of a point in the sub-scan direction Y is approximately 154 µm. Figure 13 and 20 The diagram shows a case where both U and D have a value of 3 (equivalent to a point) and the transformation process is performed using a third transformation method that satisfies the condition that B / C equals 1 / 2.

[0096] Following S15 or S16, in S17, CPU 7 determines whether the object image is one of the input image G and the high-resolution image. When the input image G or the high-resolution image is set as the object image in S9 (S17: Yes), CPU 7 does not perform the processing of combining the partial images in S19. However, when the object image is neither the input image G nor the high-resolution image (S17: No), CPU 7 proceeds to S18. For example, if the non-feature region H has been set as the object image in S6, and the object image has been edited using the sixth editing method in S12 (S17: No), then in S18, CPU 7 edits the print data by combining the edited image H6 processed by S11 to S16 with the feature region P4 not processed by S11 to S16, to form data for printing the composite image G9, such as... Figure 14 As shown. Since feature region P3 in the composite image G9 has not undergone editing and transformation, it perfectly matches feature region P4 in the input image G or the high-resolution image. However, some parts of the composite image G9 (excluding feature region P4) have been edited and transformed, and these parts do not match those parts (excluding feature region P4) in the input image G or the high-resolution image. This also applies to S18 when the object region H is set to the object image in S8 (S17: No).

[0097] If object regions P1 to P3 have been set as object images in S8, and the object images have been edited using the first editing method in S12 (S17: No), then in S18, CPU 7 edits the print data by combining the object regions P1 to P3 processed by S11 to S16 with the non-object regions J not processed by S11 to S16, to form data for printing the composite image G10, such as... Figure 15As shown. Since the portions of the composite image G10 excluding object regions P1 to P3 have not undergone editing and transformation, these portions perfectly match the portions of the input image G or the high-resolution image (excluding object regions P1 to P3). However, the portions of the composite image G10 corresponding to object regions P1 to P3 have been edited and transformed, and these portions do not match the portions of the input image G or the high-resolution image relative to object regions P1 to P3. In the composite image G10, when multiple points constituting the input image G are compared with multiple points constituting a printed image to be printed according to print data, in columns (the column consists of multiple consecutive points in the sub-scanning direction Y within object region P1), all the first, second, and third conditions are satisfied. Object region P1 is a portion of the image between the upstream end DE of the upstream side Y2 in the sub-scanning direction Y and the downstream end UE of the downstream side Y1 in the sub-scanning direction Y. The first, second, and third conditions are similarly satisfied for object regions P2 and P3.

[0098] Following S18 or S19, in S20, CPU 7 determines whether partitioned printing should be performed. Partitioned printing is a method of printing a line in the main scan direction X within the print data by dividing element 61 into N blocks (where N is an integer of 2 or greater) and sequentially stimulating the N blocks at different timings, such that the peak current flowing in print head 6 required when printing a line based on the print data is suppressed to a current value less than or equal to the maximum current that power supply 10 can supply to print head 6. The criteria used to determine whether to perform partitioned printing can be set as needed. For example, CPU 7 can determine whether to perform partitioned printing based on the number of on points in each line. When partitioned printing is to be performed (S20: Yes), in S21, CPU 7 edits the print data such that at least some lines in the print data are divided into N parts in the sub-scan direction Y. The partitioning method can be set as needed. In this embodiment, CPU 7 divides a line printing cycle into multiple sub-printing cycles of equal length, including sub-printing cycles with the same start time as the printing cycle. CPU 7 can set the partitioning method based on the editing method used in S12.

[0099] When CPU 7 edits the print data in the editing process of S12, such that the sliding amount has a small value in the main scan direction X from the first side X1 to the second side X2 (here, the sliding amount towards the upstream side Y2 in the sub-scan direction Y is negative, and the sliding amount towards the downstream side Y1 in the sub-scan direction Y is positive), it is in contrast to... Figure 16 Similar to image M1, in the partitioning printing process, CPU 7 edits the printing data, causing the N blocks of element 61 to be sequentially activated at different timings along the main scanning direction X from the first side X1 to the second side X2, as shown below. Figure 16 As indicated by image M2. Note that, Figure 16 The case where N is 2 is shown. The row line with label 1 in image M1 is divided into two parts, namely, the row line with label 1 in image M2 and the row line with label 1'. Similarly, the row line with label 2 in image M1 is divided into two parts, namely, the row line with label 2 in image M2 and the row line with label 2'.

[0100] When CPU 7 edits the print data in the editing process of S12, such that the sliding amount has a large value in the main scan direction X from the first side X1 to the second side X2 (here, the sliding amount towards the upstream side Y2 in the sub-scan direction Y is negative, and the sliding amount towards the downstream side Y1 in the sub-scan direction Y is positive), it is in contrast to... Figure 17 Similar to image M3, in the partitioning printing process, CPU 7 edits the printing data, causing the N blocks of element 61 to be sequentially activated from the second side X2 to the first side X1 in the main scanning direction X at different timings, such as... Figure 17 As indicated by image M4. Note that... Figure 17 The case where N is 2 is shown. Here, the row line with identifier 1 in image M3 is divided into two parts, namely, the row line with identifier 1 in image M4 and the row line with identifier 1'. Similarly, the row line with identifier 2 in image M3 is divided into two parts, namely, the row line with identifier 2 in image M4 and the row line with identifier 2'. CPU 7 sets the printing start timing of the sub-row lines so that these start timings arrive at equal time intervals.

[0101] In S23, CPU 7 performs partitioned printing based on the print data edited in S21. CPU 7 performs partitioned printing by driving element 61 in multiple sub-print cycles. If partitioned printing is not performed (S20: No), then in S22, CPU 7 performs printing processing based on the print data generated in S18 or S19. CPU 7 sets the heating amount of element 61 for converting candidate sub-points to be greater than that of contour sub-points according to the print data, and performs printing processing by heating element 61 in S22 or S23 to form an image on the print object F. After S22 or S23, CPU 7 ends the printing processing.

[0102] Next, the changes in the conversion process will refer to Figure 19 Description. In Figure 19 In this process, the same step number is assigned to... Figure 9 The same processing is performed in the conversion process of the illustrated embodiment. According to Figure 19 The transformation process shown differs from that based on Figure 9The conversion process in the illustrated embodiment is omitted because process S44 is omitted. Therefore, in the conversion process according to this variation, when the object sub-point, which is one of a plurality of sub-points, is a printable area (S42: Yes), the U-th sub-point (where U is any integer 0 or greater) downstream of the object sub-point in the sub-scan direction Y1 is set as a reference sub-point. If the reference sub-point is a printable area (S43: No), then in S45, CPU 7 sets the object sub-point as a conversion candidate sub-point. The remaining processes are... Figure 9 The same as in the previous section, and the description of the process will not be repeated.

[0103] In the above embodiments, printing device 1 is an example of the printing device and print data editing device of the present invention. Element 61 is an example of a plurality of elements of the present invention. Printhead 6 is an example of the printhead of the present invention. Transport unit 5 is an example of the transport unit of the present invention. CPU 7 is an example of the controller of the present invention. Storage unit 9 is an example of the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of the present invention. The process of S1 is an example of acquisition in (a) of the present invention. The process of S12 is an example of editing in (b) of the present invention. The processes of S15 and S51 are examples of conversion in (c) of the present invention. The process of S23 is an example of execution in (d) of the present invention. The processes of S22 and S23 are examples of printing of the present invention.

[0104] The printing apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment is provided with a printhead 6, a transport unit 5, and a CPU 7. The printing apparatus 1 has a plurality of elements 61 linearly aligned in the main scanning direction X. The transport unit 5 moves the printable object and the printhead 6 relative to each other in a sub-scanning direction Y, which intersects the main scanning direction X. The printing apparatus 1 edits print data to be used by the printing apparatus 1 to form an image on the printable object F, such that the print data includes data specifying whether each of the plurality of elements 61 is turned on or off.

[0105] In the printing process, the printing device 1 moves the print head 6 relative to the printing object F in the sub-scanning direction Y, and simultaneously drives the elements 61 based on the printing data to form an image on the printing object F through line lines corresponding to the elements 61 aligned in the main scanning direction X. The CPU 7 acquires the image data associated with the elements 61 aligned in the main scanning direction X (S1).

[0106] CPU 7 performs editing processing to edit the print data corresponding to the image data (S12). Specifically, when multiple points constituting the input image G represented by the image data are compared with multiple points constituting the print image printed in columns based on the print data (each column includes multiple points continuously aligned in the sub-scanning direction Y from at least partially the upstream end DE of the upstream side Y2 in the sub-scanning direction Y to the downstream end UE of the downstream side Y1 in the sub-scanning direction Y), CPU 7 performs editing processing to edit the print data such that when the columns of the print image are in the same position as the corresponding columns of the object image, or when the columns of the print image are shifted by a corresponding shift amount in the sub-scanning direction Y, the overlap between the images included in each column of the print image and the images included in the corresponding columns of the input image is maximized, and the maximum value of the absolute value of the shift amount of the multiple columns is at least one point.

[0107] When a print unit (where M is an integer of 2 or greater) obtained by dividing the point defined by element 61 into M parts in the sub-scan direction Y is defined as a sub-point, multiple sub-points aligned in the main scan direction X are defined as sub-line lines, sub-points indicated by print data as being turned on are defined as print areas, and sub-points indicated by print data as being turned off or areas outside the print areas are defined as non-print areas. CPU 7 performs conversion processing to generate print data in which the converted sub-points have been changed from being turned on to being turned off, wherein the converted sub-points are at least one or more sub-points among all sub-line lines of at least one line line in the print area (S15).

[0108] By performing an editing process, printing device 1 can edit print data to suppress the peak current flowing in print head 6 required when printing a line. By performing a conversion process in addition to the editing process, printing device 1 can maintain print quality while reducing the likelihood that the peak current supplied to print head 6 exceeds the maximum current value that power supply 10 can provide. By reducing the number of activated elements 61 in a single line, printing device 1 is more likely to achieve faster printing speeds than conventional methods that do not implement conversion processes. Therefore, compared to conventional methods, printing device 1 can edit print data to improve both print quality and printing speed.

[0109] During the editing process, the CPU 7 of the printing device 1 edits the print data to meet a second condition, which requires that the absolute difference between any two adjacent columns in the main scanning direction X is one point or less (S12). Here, the absolute difference between the two columns is the absolute value of the difference in the amount of shift between the two columns. Since the absolute difference between any two adjacent columns in the main scanning direction X is one point or less, the printing device 1 can suppress visible changes in the printed image by making the area changed from the input image G less noticeable than when the absolute difference is greater than one point.

[0110] During the editing process, the CPU 7 of printing device 1 edits the print data to meet a third condition, which requires that the absolute difference between all possible combinations of two columns out of a plurality of columns is less than one point (S12). Here, the absolute difference between the two columns is the absolute value of the difference in the amount of shift between the two columns.

[0111] For example, CPU 7 obtains representation Figure 8 The data of the image H shown is used as image data representing the input image G, and the corresponding print data is edited to generate data corresponding to any images H1 to H6. Therefore, compared to the method of editing a region in the sub-scanning direction Y, the printing device 1 can simplify the editing process. More specifically, the printing device 1 can omit the processing for generating composite images, such as the processing in S18.

[0112] In the conversion process of S15, when one of the multiple sub-points is a printable area, the printing device 1 sets the U-th sub-point (where U is any integer greater than 0) on the downstream side Y1 of the sub-scanning direction Y of the object sub-point as a reference sub-point. If the reference sub-point is a non-printable area (S43: Yes), the CPU 7 determines that the object sub-point is a contour sub-point and keeps the image data or print data of the contour sub-point enabled (S46). Therefore, the printing device 1 can edit the print data to make it less likely that weak printing will occur at the start of printing.

[0113] In the conversion process, when one of the multiple sub-points is a printable area, if any of the following sub-points relative to the object sub-point are non-printable areas: the U-th sub-point of the downstream side Y1 in the sub-scanning direction Y (where U is any integer greater than 0), the D-th sub-point of the upstream side Y2 in the sub-scanning direction Y (where D is any integer greater than 0), the L-th sub-point of the first side X1 in the main scanning direction X (where L is any integer greater than 0), and the R-th sub-point of the second side X2 in the main scanning direction X (where R is any integer greater than 0) (S43: Yes, S44: Yes), the CPU 7 sets the object sub-point as a contour sub-point and keeps the image data or print data of the contour sub-point enabled (S46). Therefore, the printing device 1 can edit the print data to avoid blurry contours in the image formed on the printable object F.

[0114] In the conversion process of S15, when the reference sub-point of the object sub-point is the printing area (S43: No), the object sub-point is set as a conversion candidate sub-point according to the change of the printing device 1 (S45), and in all sub-lines of at least one line within all conversion candidate sub-points in the image data, the image data or print data of at least one conversion candidate sub-point is changed from on to off (S51, S52). Therefore, the printing device 1 can reduce the number of sub-points indicating on in the portion of the image data or print data in the printing area (where fading is less likely to occur compared to the printing start point).

[0115] In the conversion process of S15, when one of the multiple sub-points is a printable area (S42: Yes), and relative to the object sub-point, the U-th sub-point of the downstream side Y1 in the sub-scanning direction Y (where U is any integer 0 or greater), the D-th sub-point of the upstream side Y2 in the sub-scanning direction Y (where D is any integer 0 or greater), the L-th sub-point of the first side X1 in the main scanning direction X (where L is any integer 0 or greater), and the R-th sub-point of the second side X2 in the main scanning direction X (where R is any integer 0 or greater) are all printable areas (S43: No and S44: No), the CPU 7 sets the object sub-point as a conversion candidate sub-point (S45), and changes the print data of at least one conversion candidate sub-point from on to off in all sub-line lines of at least one line line within all conversion candidate sub-points in the image data (S51, S52). Therefore, the printing device 1 can reduce the number of sub-points indicating on in the portion of the image data or print data that is less likely to fade compared to the outline area.

[0116] During the editing process, CPU 7 edits the print data to meet the following condition: the absolute difference in the displacement between any two adjacent columns in the main scanning direction X is 150 µm or less (S12). Since the absolute difference in the displacement between two adjacent columns in the main scanning direction X is 150 µm or less, the printing device 1 can suppress visible changes in the printed image by making the area changed from the input image G less noticeable than when the absolute difference in the displacement is greater than 150 µm.

[0117] CPU 7 also performs a partitioned printing process to print a line extending in the main scanning direction X by dividing element 61 into N blocks (where N is an integer of 2 or greater) and driving the N blocks sequentially at different timings, such that the peak current flowing in printhead 6 required when printing a line based on print data is suppressed to a current value less than or equal to the maximum current that power supply 10 can supply to printhead 6 (S21, S23). Therefore, printing device 1 can maintain print quality during printing such that the peak current does not exceed the maximum current that power supply 10 can supply, even if the peak current supplied to printhead 6 exceeds the maximum current value that power supply 10 can supply when printing a line based on edited print data.

[0118] The printing device 1 is provided with a transport unit 5 and a print head 6, which includes multiple heating elements aligned in the main scanning direction X and serving as elements 61. The CPU 7 performs printing processing (S22, S23) to form an image on the printing object F by heating the elements 61 according to printing data. The printing device 1 can perform thermal printing to maintain print quality while preventing the peak current supplied to the print head 6 from exceeding the maximum current value that the power supply 10 can supply. The printing object F is a thermal recording medium. The printing device 1 can maintain print quality while forming an image on the thermal recording medium, such that the peak current supplied to the print head 6 does not exceed the maximum current that the power supply 10 can supply.

[0119] By setting the heating amount of the conversion candidate sub-points to be greater than that of the contour sub-points, and heating the corresponding element 61 to form an image on the printing object F, the CPU 7 performs printing processing based on the printing data (S22, S23). In this way, the printing device 1 can maintain print quality during thermal printing, ensuring that the peak current does not exceed the maximum current that the power supply 10 can supply. By changing the value of the conversion sub-points from on to off, the printing device 1 can reduce the number of sub-points set to on in a line, while heating the conversion candidate sub-points more reliably, thereby improving print quality compared to methods that set the same heating amount for both contour sub-points and conversion candidate sub-points.

[0120] While the print data editing apparatus, print data editing method, and print data editing program of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims. The invention may be embodied in various forms, such as non-transitory computer-readable media storing print data editing programs.

[0121] The configuration of printing device 1 can be modified as needed. For example, printing device 1 can be a thermal printer with a thermal lead as a printhead 6 for thermally transferring ink from an ink ribbon. Alternatively, printing device 1 can be an inkjet printer, which is provided with an inkjet lead as a printhead 6 and multiple piezoelectric elements as components 61. Alternatively, printing device 1 can be an electrophotographic printer, which is provided with an LED lead as a printhead 6 and multiple light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as components 61.

[0122] The print data editing device of the present invention can be a dedicated or general-purpose device provided separately from the printing device 1, used for processing from S1 to S19. The configuration of the transport unit 5 in the printing device 1 can also be modified according to the type of print head 6. The transport unit 5 can move the print head 6 to change the relative position of the print head 6 and the printed object. The communication unit 4 can be configured to perform wired or wireless communication with an external device W.

[0123] Before CPU 7 executes the corresponding program, Figure 2 The program, including instructions for performing the processing, can be stored in the storage device of printing device 1. Therefore, the method and path for obtaining the program, as well as each of the devices for storing the program, can be modified as needed. The program executed by printing device 1 can be received from other devices via cable or wireless communication and stored in the storage unit of printing device 1 or other storage devices. Examples of other devices include PCs and servers connected via a network.

[0124] While CPU 7 executes each step of the printing process in the above example, all or some of these steps may be performed by another electronic device (e.g., an ASIC). Alternatively, the steps in the printing process may be performed by distributed processing by multiple electronic devices (e.g., multiple CPUs). Steps may also be added to or omitted from the printing process, and the order of the steps may be modified as needed. The following modifications may be incorporated into the printing process as appropriate.

[0125] The number and type of editing methods that CPU 7 can execute can be modified appropriately. For example, CPU 7 may only execute one of the first to sixth editing methods. CPU 7 can perform editing processing on the high-resolution image of S3 or the input image G of S4 without receiving any specifications for at least one of the features, object regions, and non-object regions. When multiple object regions P1 to P3 have been set, CPU 7 can apply the same editing method or a different editing method to each object region. CPU 7 can simply perform editing processing without determining whether to perform editing processing in S11. When a feature or non-object region has been specified, CPU 7 can perform editing processing to set a specified quantity to 0 within the range of the main scanning direction X that includes the specified region. Furthermore, the second and third editing conditions can both be omitted from the editing conditions as appropriate.

[0126] CPU 7 can easily perform the conversion process without needing to determine in S14 whether to perform the conversion process. The number and type of conversion methods that CPU 7 can execute can be modified as needed. For example, CPU 7 may only execute one of the first to fourth conversion methods. CPU 7 can also use methods other than the first to fourth conversion methods for conversion processing. Figure 18 As shown, CPU 7 can first edit the print data in print image J2 based on the image data in input image J1, and then perform conversion processing to convert the print data to produce print image J4. Alternatively, CPU 7 can first perform conversion processing based on the image data in input image J1 to produce print image J3, and then perform editing processing to produce print image J4. In the conversion processing, CPU 7 can change the image data or print data from on to off for conversion sub-points, which are one or more sub-points in at least one sub-line within at least one line in the print area. In S22 or S23, CPU 7 does not need to set a heating amount greater than that for the contour sub-points for the conversion candidate sub-points. CPU 7 can omit the processing from S40 to S48 and perform conversion processing by treating all sub-points in the print area as conversion candidate sub-points. CPU 7 can modify the number of conversion candidate sub-points set based on the number of conversion candidate sub-points included in the conversion candidate sub-line obtained in S50.

[0127] The processes in S21 and S23 can be omitted as appropriate. CPU 7 can execute the processes in S21 and S23 without determining in S20 whether partition printing should be performed. When partition printing is to be performed, CPU 7 can determine the order of the drive elements 61, regardless of the editing method used in S12. The processes from S2 to S4 can be modified or omitted as needed. The above changes can be combined as needed to make them compatible.

Claims

1. A print data editing device, comprising: A controller configured to edit print data to be used in a printing device, the printing device including: a printhead; and a transport unit, the printhead including a plurality of elements linearly arranged in a main scanning direction, the transport unit being configured to move a printable object and the printhead relative to each other in a sub-scanning direction intersecting the main scanning direction, the print data including data indicating the on or off state of each of the plurality of elements, the printing device being configured to perform image formation on the printable object based on the print data, while moving the printhead and the printable object relative to each other in the sub-scanning direction to form an image represented by the print data on the printable object. The image, wherein the printing device is configured to form the image line by line on the printable object by driving one or more selected elements from the plurality of elements based on the print data, the image represented by the print data being composed of a plurality of points defined by the plurality of elements, a line being composed of a plurality of sub-line lines, each sub-line being composed of a plurality of sub-points, the sub-point being a print unit obtained by dividing the point into M parts in the sub-scanning direction, where M is an integer of 2 or greater, the print data indicating that the open sub-point is a printable area, the print data indicating that the closed sub-point is a non-printable area, and the area outside the printable area is the non-printable area, the controller being configured to perform: (a) Obtain the print data representing the input image; (b) Editing the print data obtained in (a) such that when comparing the sub-points constituting the input image represented by the print data obtained in (a) in units of columns before and after the editing in (b), when the image in each column of the input image after the editing in (b) is in the same position as the image in the corresponding column of the input image before the editing in (b) or shifted by a corresponding shift amount in the sub-scanning direction relative to the image in the corresponding column of the input image before the editing in (b), the overlap between the image included in each column of the input image after the editing in (b) and the image included in the corresponding column of the input image before the editing in (b) is maximized, and each column including the sub-points is at least partially aligned continuously from the upstream end to the downstream end in the sub-scanning direction, wherein the absolute value of at least one of the shift amounts of the columns in the input image after the editing in (b) is 1 point or greater; and (c) Transform the printed data obtained in (a), wherein the transformation in (c) includes: (c-1) For each of the sub-lined lines constituting a line within the printed area of ​​the input image, determine one or more of the sub-points included in the sub-lined line as transformation sub-points; and (c-2) Edit the print data such that, for the one or more sub-points identified as the transformation sub-points in (c-1), the print data indicates that it is off. In the edit described in (b), the absolute difference between any two adjacent columns in the main scanning direction of the input image after the edit in (b) is one point or less, and the absolute difference between the two columns is the absolute value of the difference in the amount of shift between the two columns. In the edit described in (b), at least one of the absolute differences of all possible combinations of the two columns is less than 1 point, and the absolute difference of the two columns is the absolute value of the difference of the shift amount between the two columns.

2. The print data editing device according to claim 1, in, The transformation described in (c) also includes: (c-3) Obtain one of the sub-points constituting the input image represented by the printed data as the object sub-point; (c-4) Determine whether the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) is the printing area; (c-5) In response to determining in (c-4) that the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) is the printed area, determine whether a reference sub-point is the non-printed area, the reference sub-point being the U-th sub-point located downstream of the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) in the sub-scan direction, where U is an integer of zero or greater; and (c-6) In response to determining in (c-5) that the reference sub-point is the non-printing area, the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) is determined as a contour sub-point. In the transformation described in (c), the print data is retained as an indication to be enabled for the contour sub-points determined in (c-6).

3. The print data editing device according to claim 1, in, The transformation described in (c) also includes: (c-3) Obtain one of the sub-points constituting the input image represented by the printed data as the object sub-point; (c-4) Determine whether the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) is the printing area; (c-5) In response to determining in (c-4) that the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) is the printed area, determine whether at least one of the first reference sub-point, the second reference sub-point, the third reference sub-point, and the fourth reference sub-point is the non-printed area, wherein the first reference sub-point is the U-th sub-point located downstream of the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) in the sub-scan direction, the second reference sub-point is the D-th sub-point located upstream of the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) in the sub-scan direction, the third reference sub-point is the L-th sub-point located on one side of the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) in the main scan direction, and the fourth reference sub-point is the R-th sub-point located on the other side of the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) in the main scan direction, wherein U, D, L, and R are each zero or a larger integer; and (c-6) In response to determining in (c-5) that at least one of the first reference sub-point, the second reference sub-point, the third reference sub-point, and the fourth reference sub-point is the non-printing area, the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) is determined as a contour sub-point. In the transformation described in (c), the print data is retained as an indication to be enabled for the contour sub-points determined in (c-6).

4. The print data editing device according to claim 2, in, The transformation described in (c) also includes: (c-7) In response to determining in (c-5) that the reference sub-point is the non-printing area, the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) is determined as a conversion candidate sub-point, and In the determination in (c-1), for each of the sub-lined lines that constitute a line within the conversion candidate sub-points in the input image represented by the printed data, the controller determines one or more of the conversion candidate sub-points included in the sub-lined line as the conversion sub-point.

5. The print data editing device according to claim 3, in, The transformation described in (c) also includes: (c-7) In response to determining in (c-5) that none of the first reference sub-point, the second reference sub-point, the third reference sub-point, and the fourth reference sub-point is a non-printing area, the object sub-point obtained in (c-3) is determined as a conversion candidate sub-point, and In the determination in (c1), for each of the sub-lined lines that constitute a line within the conversion candidate sub-points in the input image represented by the printed data, the controller determines one or more of the conversion candidate sub-points included in the sub-lined line as the conversion sub-point.

6. The print data editing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in, In the edit described in (b), the absolute difference between any two adjacent columns in the main scanning direction of the input image after the edit described in (b) is 150 µm or less, and the absolute difference between the two columns is the absolute value of the difference in the amount of shift between the two columns.

7. The print data editing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: The printing device, the printing device comprising: The printhead; and The conveying unit The controller is configured to also perform: (d) Following the editing in (b) and the conversion in (c), partition printing is performed on the line extending in the main scanning direction within the print data. The partition printing is performed by dividing the plurality of elements into N blocks and sequentially energizing the N blocks at different timings, such that the peak current flowing in the print head required when printing the line based on the print data following the editing in (b) and the conversion in (c) is suppressed to a current value less than or equal to the maximum current value that the power supply can supply to the print head, where N is an integer of 2 or greater.

8. The print data editing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: The printing device, the printing device comprising: The printhead, wherein the plurality of elements in the printhead are a plurality of heating elements linearly arranged in the main scanning direction; and The conveying unit The controller is configured to print by heating the plurality of heating elements based on the print data following the editing in (b) and the conversion in (c) to form the input image following the editing in (b) and the conversion in (c) on the print object.

9. The print data editing device according to claim 8, in, The object to be printed is a thermal recording medium.

10. The print data editing device according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising: The printing device, the printing device comprising: The printhead, wherein the plurality of elements in the printhead are a plurality of heating elements linearly arranged in the main scanning direction; and The conveying unit Wherein, the object to be printed is a thermal recording medium, and The controller is configured to set a first heating amount for the contour sub-points and a second heating amount for the conversion candidate sub-points, and to print by heating the plurality of heating elements based on the print data after the editing in (b) and the conversion in (c) to form the input image after the editing in (b) and the conversion in (c) on the thermal recording medium, wherein the second heating amount is greater than the first heating amount.

11. A method for editing print data performed by a controller of a print data editing device, the print data editing device being configured to edit print data to be used in the print device, the print device comprising: Print head; The print head includes a plurality of elements linearly arranged in the main scanning direction, the transport unit being configured to move the print head and the print object relative to each other in a sub-scanning direction intersecting the main scanning direction, the print data including data indicating the on or off status of each of the plurality of elements, the printing device being configured to form an image on the print object based on the print data, while moving the print head and the print object relative to each other in the sub-scanning direction to form an image represented by the print data on the print object, the printing device being configured to perform image formation on the print object based on the print data. The data drives one or more selected elements from the plurality of elements to form the image line by line on the printed object. The image represented by the print data consists of a plurality of points defined by the plurality of elements. A line is composed of multiple sub-line lines, and each sub-line line is composed of multiple sub-points. The sub-points are print units obtained by dividing the point into M parts in the sub-scanning direction, where M is an integer of 2 or greater. The print data indicates that the enabled sub-points are printable areas, and the print data indicates that the disabled sub-points are non-printable areas. The area outside the printable areas is the non-printable area. The print data editing method includes: (a) Obtain the print data representing the input image; (b) Editing the print data obtained in (a) such that when comparing the sub-points constituting the input image represented by the print data obtained in (a) in units of columns before and after the editing in (b), when the image in each column of the input image after the editing in (b) is in the same position as the image in the corresponding column of the input image before the editing in (b) or shifted by a corresponding shift amount in the sub-scanning direction relative to the image in the corresponding column of the input image before the editing in (b), the overlap between the image included in each column of the input image after the editing in (b) and the image included in the corresponding column of the input image before the editing in (b) is maximized, and each column including the sub-points is at least partially aligned continuously from the upstream end to the downstream end in the sub-scanning direction, wherein the absolute value of at least one of the shift amounts of the columns in the input image after the editing in (b) is 1 point or greater; and (c) Transform the printed data obtained in (a), wherein the transformation in (c) includes: (c-1) For each of the sub-lined lines constituting a line within the printed area of ​​the input image, determine one or more of the sub-points included in the sub-lined line as transformation sub-points; and (c-2) Edit the print data obtained in (a) such that, for the one or more sub-points identified as the transformation sub-points in (c-1), the print data obtained in (a) indicates closure. In the edit described in (b), the absolute difference between any two adjacent columns in the main scanning direction of the input image after the edit in (b) is one point or less, and the absolute difference between the two columns is the absolute value of the difference in the amount of shift between the two columns. In the edit described in (b), at least one of the absolute differences of all possible combinations of the two columns is less than 1 point, and the absolute difference of the two columns is the absolute value of the difference of the shift amount between the two columns.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-readable instruction set for a print data editing device, the print data editing device including a processor configured to edit print data to be used in the print device, the print device comprising: Print head; The print head includes a plurality of elements linearly arranged in a main scanning direction, the transport unit being configured to move the print head and the print object relative to each other in a sub-scanning direction intersecting the main scanning direction, the print data including data indicating the on or off status of each of the plurality of elements, the printing device being configured to perform image formation on the print object based on the print data, while moving the print head and the print object relative to each other in the sub-scanning direction to form an image represented by the print data on the print object, and the printing device being configured to select one of the plurality of elements based on the print data. One or more selected elements are driven to form the image line by line on the printed object. The image, represented by the print data, consists of multiple points defined by the multiple elements. A line is composed of multiple sub-line lines, and each sub-line line consists of multiple sub-points. The sub-points are print units obtained by dividing the point into M parts in the sub-scanning direction, where M is an integer of 2 or greater. The print data indicates that the enabled sub-points are printable areas, and the print data indicates that the disabled sub-points are non-printable areas. The area outside the printable areas is the non-printable area. When executed by the processor, the computer-readable instruction set causes the print data editing device to perform the following: (a) Obtain the print data representing the input image; (b) Editing the print data obtained in (a) such that when comparing the sub-points constituting the input image represented by the print data obtained in (a) in units of columns before and after the editing in (b), when the image in each column of the input image after the editing in (b) is in the same position as the image in the corresponding column of the input image before the editing in (b) or shifted by a corresponding shift amount in the sub-scanning direction relative to the image in the corresponding column of the input image before the editing in (b), the overlap between the image included in each column of the input image after the editing in (b) and the image included in the corresponding column of the input image before the editing in (b) is maximized, and each column including the sub-points is at least partially aligned continuously from the upstream end to the downstream end in the sub-scanning direction, wherein the absolute value of at least one of the shift amounts of the columns in the input image after the editing in (b) is 1 point or greater; and (c) Transform the printed data obtained in (a), wherein the transformation in (c) includes: (c-1) For each of the sub-lined lines constituting a line within the printed area of ​​the input image, determine one or more of the sub-points included in the sub-lined line as transformation sub-points; and (c-2) Edit the print data obtained in (a) such that, for the one or more sub-points identified as the transformation sub-points in (c-1), the print data obtained in (a) indicates closure. In the edit described in (b), the absolute difference between any two adjacent columns in the main scanning direction of the input image after the edit in (b) is one point or less, and the absolute difference between the two columns is the absolute value of the difference in the amount of shift between the two columns. In the edit described in (b), at least one of the absolute differences of all possible combinations of the two columns is less than 1 point, and the absolute difference of the two columns is the absolute value of the difference of the shift amount between the two columns.

Images