Black Figure Overprint Control for Inkjet Purity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printing technologies face challenges in maintaining the purity of black figures when overprinting with other colors, leading to impure black colors and white streaks due to ink mixing and positional shifts during the printing process.
Innovation Solution
A data processing apparatus that specifies black figures in original image data and adjusts their overprint attributes to ensure the central portion of black figures is printed with zero density of other colors, preventing ink mixing and enhancing the quality of black figures by adding auxiliary black figures with an overprint attribute of OFF.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If overprint attribute of black figure is set to ON to prevent white streaks, then positioning stability is improved, but black figure purity deteriorates due to ink mixing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the black figure into two distinct regions: a central portion and an outer edge portion. The central portion uses overprint attribute OFF to maintain purity, while the outer edge portion uses overprint attribute ON to prevent white streaks. This segmentation allows each region to have optimized printing characteristics without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different overprint attributes to different spatial locations within the black figure. The central area receives pure black printing (overprint OFF) while the peripheral area receives overprinted black (overprint ON). This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by providing purity where needed and stability where needed.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If overprint attribute of black figure is set to OFF to maintain black purity, then black figure quality is improved, but white streaks appear due to positional shifts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the black figure printing into two functional zones: central portion with overprint OFF for purity, and outer edge portion with overprint ON for positioning stability. This segmentation enables simultaneous achievement of both purity and stability that cannot be achieved with a uniform overprint setting.
Solution Approach 2:
Different overprint attributes are assigned to different local regions of the black figure based on their functional requirements. The central region prioritizes purity while the edge region prioritizes stability, creating a locally optimized printing strategy.
3Manufacturing precision
If other color ink is printed over black figure area, then color figure representation is improved, but black figure quality deteriorates due to ink mixing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the printing area into black figure regions (central and outer edge) and non-black figure regions. By controlling overprint attributes specifically for black figure areas, the patent prevents unwanted color ink mixing while allowing proper color representation in non-black areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies selective overprint control where non-black color inks are permitted in their designated areas (maintaining color accuracy) but prevented from mixing in black figure areas (maintaining black purity). This local quality control resolves the contradiction between color representation and black quality.
Data Source
AI summary
A black figure specification part of a data processing apparatus specifies a black figure from among a plurality of figures in original image data that represents each figure in a vector format. When the overprint attribute of the black figure is ON, a data processing part adds a new black figure whose overprint attribute is OFF and that indicates a figure central portion of the black figure excluding an outer edge portion of a predetermined width from the edge, to the original image data. When the black figure overlaps with another figure that includes a color other than black, the density of the other color in the area where the figure central portion and the other figure overlap each other is zero in raster data for image recording. This increases the darkness of color of the black figure and reduces the appearance of white streaks around the black figure.