Printing Control Machine Ink Similarity Allocation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In distributed printing systems, grouping of image forming machines based solely on identification information can lead to variations in ink properties, resulting in inconsistent print quality and user dissatisfaction when prints from different machines are combined.
Innovation Solution
A printing control machine that connects to multiple printing machines via a network, determines the similarity of ink and maintenance conditions among machines, and allocates printing jobs to those within a similarity condition range to ensure consistent output and efficient processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If image forming machines are grouped based solely on identification information, then the grouping process is simple and fast, but print quality consistency deteriorates due to variations in ink properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the grouping parameters from simple identification information to include ink property parameters (color space information, ink type, concentration). This allows machines with similar ink characteristics to be grouped together, ensuring print quality consistency while maintaining efficient distributed processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating sub-groups within the overall machine cluster based on specific ink property characteristics. Machines are grouped not just by model or ID, but by local similarities in ink color space, type, and concentration, ensuring that each subgroup produces consistent output.
2Productivity
If printing jobs are distributed to all available machines, then overall productivity increases, but print quality uniformity deteriorates due to different ink properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the printing system into multiple sub-groups based on ink property similarities. Each sub-group handles specific printing jobs, and the system distributes jobs to appropriate sub-groups rather than all machines. This maintains high throughput by utilizing all machines while ensuring color consistency within each sub-group's output.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses ink property parameters (color space information, ink type, concentration) as the basis for job allocation decisions. By changing the allocation criteria from simple machine ID to ink property matching, the system achieves both high productivity through distributed processing and color consistency through parameter-based selection.
3Adaptability or versatility
If machines with different ink properties are grouped together, then device utilization is maximized, but user satisfaction deteriorates due to coloring variations in combined prints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces ink property parameters (color space information, ink type, concentration) as key criteria for machine selection and grouping. This allows the system to adaptively select machines based on both utilization efficiency and ink compatibility, ensuring user satisfaction through consistent coloring while maintaining high device utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system obtains and uses feedback about ink properties from each machine to make intelligent allocation decisions. By continuously monitoring and considering ink color space information, ink type, and concentration, the system can dynamically adjust job allocation to maintain both high utilization and consistent output quality.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing control machine includes an obtaining section, a determination section, and a printing control section. The obtaining section obtains from each of a plurality of printing machines, ink information regarding an ink mounted to the each printing machine. The determination section determines whether or not each of the plurality of printing machines is within a similarity condition range on the basis of the ink information obtained by the obtaining section. The printing control section allocates a printing job to printing machines determined to be within the similarity condition range to make the determined printing machines perform printing.