Image Processing for Multi-Pass Ink Timing on Low-Permeability Media
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printing on low ink-permeable media results in ink bleeding and beading, leading to reduced gloss image clarity due to ink thickening and increased light reflection variations when a reaction liquid is used.
Innovation Solution
Generate print data for multi-pass printing that controls the application of ink and reaction liquid timing to prevent ink droplet coalescence and reaction liquid film dissolution, ensuring ink application occurs after a specific time lapse from reaction liquid application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a reaction liquid is applied to thicken ink on low ink-permeability print medium, then ink bleeding and beading are suppressed, but gloss image clarity is reduced due to increased dot height and surface asperity
Solution Approach 1:
The reaction liquid is applied in advance before the ink, allowing it to spread and form a uniform film on the print medium surface. This preliminary action ensures that when ink is subsequently applied, it thickens uniformly without forming raised dots, thus suppressing bleeding while maintaining gloss image clarity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the dynamic spreading process of the reaction liquid on the print medium. By controlling the timing and allowing the reaction liquid to naturally spread and coalesce into a film before ink application, the system achieves optimal ink thickening without excessive dot height, resolving the contradiction between bleeding suppression and gloss maintenance
2Reliability
If ink is applied immediately after reaction liquid to thicken ink droplets, then ink bleeding is suppressed, but dot height and surface asperity increase reducing gloss
Solution Approach 1:
The reaction liquid is applied in advance before the ink, allowing it to spread and form a uniform film on the print medium surface. This preliminary action ensures that when ink is subsequently applied, it thickens uniformly without forming raised dots, thus suppressing bleeding while maintaining gloss image clarity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the timing parameter of ink application relative to reaction liquid application. By delaying ink application until after the reaction liquid has spread and formed a film, the physical state of the reaction liquid changes from discrete droplets to a continuous film, which fundamentally alters how the ink thickens and prevents excessive dot height formation
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
Suppresses the reduction in gloss image clarity by controlling ink application timing to maintain ink thickness and surface smoothness during multi-pass printing.
Implementation Method 1
a reaction liquid that reacts with the ink to cause aggregation of solid content
Implementation Method 2
cause the ink and the reaction liquid to react with each other on the print medium so that the solid content aggregates
Implementation Method 3
a first time from a timing where the reaction liquid is applied to the print medium up to a timing where adjacent droplets of the applied reaction liquid come into contact with each other and coalesce to form a reaction liquid film
Data Source
AI summary
A generation unit, which is configured to process image data to generate print data for applying an ink and a reaction liquid such that the print data corresponds to respective passes, generates print data for the ink such that the ink is applied only in a pass of which the elapsed time after application of the reaction liquid to the print medium is equal to or longer than the first time and shorter than the second time. The first time is from the timing where the reaction liquid is applied to the print medium up to the timing where adjacent droplets of the applied reaction liquid come into contact with each other and coalesce to form a reaction liquid film. The second time is from the timing where the reaction liquid is applied to the print medium up to the timing where the formed reaction liquid film is dissolved.