Dynamic Colorant Limits for Print Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printing systems face limitations in achieving high print quality due to fixed colorant limits, which restrict the efficient use of colorants and increase operational costs, as they do not account for varying spectral absorption characteristics of colorants across different regions of the color space.
Innovation Solution
A color transform that maps input colors to output colors, allowing colorant limits to vary based on the region within the color space, ensuring that each subset of output colors is printed within defined limits, thereby optimizing colorant usage and print quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fixed digital count limits are applied to all colorants in the output color space, then the medium can achieve desired print quality and drying, but the print quality suffers due to inflexible methodology and colorant usage efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The color space is divided into multiple regions, and different colorant limits are assigned to each region. This segmentation allows the system to apply appropriate colorant limits based on the specific color being printed, rather than using a single fixed limit for all colors, thereby improving both print quality and colorant efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Different colorant limits are applied to different regions of the color space based on local requirements. Each region has its own optimized colorant limit that considers the spectral absorption characteristics and drying requirements of colors in that region, enabling tailored control for improved print quality and reduced colorant waste.
2Reliability
If fixed colorant limits are used to ensure acceptable printed output, then drying requirements are met, but colorant efficiency decreases and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The colorant limits are made dynamic by varying them according to the region of the color space. This allows the system to adjust colorant amounts in real-time based on the specific color being printed, ensuring drying requirements are met while minimizing colorant usage and reducing waste.
3Device complexity
If fixed colorant limits are applied across the entire color space, then the printing process remains simple, but the ability to utilize colorants efficiently is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The color space is segmented into multiple regions with different colorant limits. This segmentation enables efficient colorant utilization by applying region-specific limits that account for spectral absorption characteristics, while the segmentation itself is implemented through a manageable lookup table or algorithm that does not overly complicate the printing process.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments described herein utilize a color transform that maps input colors in print jobs to output colors of a printing system. The color transform defines colorant limits that vary based on where the input colors are represented within a color space. When a print job is processed using the color transform to generate rasterized image data, input colors in the print job are converted into output colors of the printing system where a colorant amount for printing each of the output colors is within the colorant limit defined by where its respective input color is represented in the color space.