Printer Controller Ink Provision for Stain Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printing on plain paper often results in dull colors due to ink bleed through paper fibers, and the use of rollers to feed printed sheets can cause stains as ink coloring materials transfer back onto the paper, especially in high-speed printing systems.
Innovation Solution
A printer with a controller that detects broad solid areas in the image data and adjusts print settings by lowering the print resolution and increasing ink provision for those areas to prevent ink transfer from the roller to the paper, thereby minimizing stains while maintaining print quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If inkjet printing is performed on plain paper with high ink provision to ensure good color, then color quality is improved, but ink bleed through paper fibers causes dull colors and stains
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different print resolutions to different areas of the sheet. Broad solid areas are printed at a lower resolution with higher ink provision, while other areas maintain original settings. This local differentiation prevents ink bleed in critical areas while preserving overall print quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the print resolution parameter dynamically based on the detected area type. By lowering the resolution for broad solid areas and maintaining higher resolution for other areas, the system optimizes ink provision to prevent bleed while preserving detail where needed.
2Productivity
If rollers are used to feed printed sheets at high speed, then productivity is improved, but coloring materials transfer from sheet to roller and back, causing stains
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary detection of broad solid areas in the image data before printing. By identifying these areas in advance and applying lower resolution printing, the system prevents ink transfer to rollers during high-speed feeding, eliminating stains without reducing productivity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If print resolution is lowered to reduce ink transfer to rollers, then stain prevention is improved, but print quality degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies lower resolution only to broad solid areas where ink transfer to rollers causes stains, while maintaining original high resolution for other areas. This localized approach prevents stains without degrading overall print quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the sheet into broad solid areas and other areas, applying different print resolution settings to each segment. This segmentation allows optimal printing parameters for each area type, preventing stains in critical zones while preserving quality elsewhere.
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
The solution effectively restricts stains on printed sheets caused by ink transfer from rollers while ensuring that print quality is not degraded, even in high-speed printing environments.
Implementation Method 1
a print unit that prints a sheet by ejecting ink droplets of at least one ink color onto the sheet
Implementation Method 2
a surfaces of the roller contacts with a printed face of a sheet, and thereby coloring materials of ink remained near a surface of the sheet may be transferred to the surface of the roller
Implementation Method 3
ink bleed brought by ink permeability through fibers in the sheet
Data Source
AI summary
A printer includes a print unit that ejects ink droplets of at least one ink color onto the sheet, at least one roller that feeds the printed sheet, and a controller that controls the print unit to print the sheet based on image data that defines an ink provision amount of each ink color for every dot according to a print resolution. The controller detects, based on the image data, a broad solid area, and carries out a print setting change with respect to the broad solid area by making the print resolution in the image data lower and making the ink provision amount of each ink color in the image data larger according to the print resolution that is made lower. According to the printer, stains on the printed sheet can be restricted.