Inkjet Recording Head Controller Ejection Timing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In inkjet printing apparatuses, multi-pass printing methods can lead to areas where the reaction liquid is printed after the color material ink, causing image quality deterioration due to color bleeding, liquid gathering, or the like.
Innovation Solution
An inkjet recording device with a controller that manages the ejection of ink and reaction liquid from separate recording heads, ensuring a higher printing progress rate for the reaction liquid compared to the ink in areas where the ink is ejected multiple times, thereby preventing issues like color bleeding and liquid gathering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multi-pass printing method is used to improve productivity, then printing speed and efficiency are improved, but image quality deteriorates due to color bleeding and liquid gathering in areas printed multiple times
Solution Approach 1:
The reaction liquid is ejected in advance before the color material ink in areas that will be printed multiple times. This preliminary action ensures that when the ink is subsequently ejected and printed over the same area, the reaction liquid is already in place to immediately fix the ink, preventing color bleeding and liquid gathering while allowing multi-pass printing to proceed at high speed
2Ease of operation
If reaction liquid is ejected after color material ink in multi-pass printing, then device operation is simplified, but harmful effects occur including color bleeding and liquid gathering
Solution Approach 1:
The reaction liquid is ejected in advance before the color material ink in areas that will be printed multiple times. This preliminary action ensures that when the ink is subsequently ejected and printed over the same area, the reaction liquid is already in place to immediately fix the ink, preventing color bleeding and liquid gathering while allowing multi-pass printing to proceed at high speed
3Manufacturing precision
If reaction liquid ejection is performed before ink ejection in areas printed multiple times, then image quality is improved by preventing dot spreading, but printing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller selectively changes the ejection sequence based on the specific printing area. In areas that will be printed multiple times (overlap regions), the reaction liquid is ejected first, while in other areas the conventional sequence is maintained. This local differentiation improves image quality in critical areas without unnecessarily complicating the entire printing process
Solution Approach 2:
The controller uses information about the multi-pass printing pattern to determine which areas require reversed ejection sequence. By analyzing which areas will be printed multiple times, the system intelligently applies the reversed sequence only where necessary, managing complexity through informed decision-making
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution effectively suppresses image quality deterioration in areas printed multiple times by ensuring the reaction liquid fixes the ink promptly, preventing dot spreading, liquid gathering, and color bleeding.
Implementation Method 1
each of the reaction liquid and the ink is adjusted so that a surface tension of the reaction liquid ejected from the reaction liquid ejector is lower than a surface tension of the ink ejected from the ink ejector
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an inkjet recording device that forms an image by repeating a series of operations of relatively moving a first recording head and a second recording head and the recording medium in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction after ejecting the ink and/or a reaction liquid to the recording medium while relatively moving the first recording head and the second recording head and the recording medium in the first direction. The inkjet recording device includes a hardware processor that controls the ejection of the ink by the first recording head and the ejection of the reaction liquid by the second recording head such that a printing progress rate of the reaction liquid for each series of operations is higher than a printing progress rate of the ink in a printing area where at least the ejection of the ink is performed a plurality of times.