Halftone Process for Wind Ripple Suppression in Inkjet Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for correcting wind ripple fluctuations in ink jet printing, such as those described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-013645, are ineffective for low-resolution image data and result in decreased granularity and tone jump issues due to large ink droplet sizes and abrupt gradation changes.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus that performs a halftone process on image data, converting it into at least three values and ensuring a zero value is always included except when all pixels are at maximum, to suppress wind ripple fluctuations without deteriorating granularity or causing tone jump, even in low-resolution data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the resolution of image data is converted to low resolution to suppress wind ripple fluctuations, then wind ripple fluctuations are reduced, but granularity deteriorates and tone jump occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of ink droplet density distribution by ensuring print data always includes zero values (no ink ejection) except when all pixels are maximum value. This parameter change suppresses wind ripple fluctuations while maintaining original image resolution, avoiding the need to convert to low resolution which would cause granularity deterioration and tone jump.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If image data resolution is converted to low resolution, then wind ripple fluctuations are suppressed, but image quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of changing the resolution parameter of image data, the patent changes the parameter of ink ejection control by ensuring print data includes zero values. This approach suppresses wind ripple fluctuations while preserving the original image resolution and quality, avoiding the image quality deterioration that would result from low resolution conversion.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing apparatus is equipped with: an image data receiving unit that receives image data; and a print data generating unit that generates multiple value data as print data by performing a halftone process on the image data and converting the image data into at least three values. The print data generating unit administers a halftone process that includes a density fluctuation suppressing process that results in the print data always including a zero value except for a case in which all of the pixels that constitute the image data are converted into a maximum value.