Printing Device Reflectance Control via Halftone Media
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current printing technologies lack the capability to create and print documents with varying reflectance properties, such as glossy and matte regions, and fail to fully control glossiness levels, limiting their ability to simulate real-world appearances.
Innovation Solution
The method involves applying multiple media with different reflectance properties to a substrate using a printing device, combining these media in halftone patterns to achieve desired reflectance properties, and using algorithms to preserve or modify glossiness levels, allowing for the creation and preview of documents with spatially-varying reflectance properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If current printing technologies use standard gray-scale or color images, then the printing process is simple and straightforward, but the capability to view and print materials with varying reflectance properties (glossy or matte regions) is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The printing process is segmented into multiple passes, with each pass applying a specific medium (glossy, matte, or clear) to create the desired reflectance properties. This allows independent control of different reflectance characteristics without requiring a completely new printing system.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the substrate receive different treatments based on the desired reflectance properties. The system applies glossy, matte, or clear media selectively to specific areas, enabling spatially varying reflectance properties across the printed document.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple mediums with different reflectance properties are applied to achieve desired glossiness levels, then the reflectance control is improved, but the number of media types and processing steps increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically selects and combines different media types (glossy, matte, clear) based on the desired reflectance properties for each region. This dynamic approach allows precise control of glossiness levels by adapting the media combination to the specific requirements of each printed area.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite material approaches by combining multiple media types (glossy, matte, clear) in specific patterns and proportions to achieve desired reflectance properties. This allows the system to create a wide range of glossiness levels by mixing different media rather than requiring a separate medium for each gloss level.
3Manufacturing precision
If halftone patterns are used to apply media, then the perceived reflectance properties are controlled, but the complexity of the application process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies media in halftone patterns where the coverage and density of each medium type are carefully controlled to achieve the desired perceived reflectance properties. By using partial coverage and varying the proportion of different media in the halftone pattern, the system can precisely control the effective reflectance without requiring complete coverage with each medium type.
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
Enables the creation, preview, and printing of documents with full control over glossiness levels, allowing the appearance to change under different lighting and viewing conditions, and can be applied to both printing and passive display devices.
Implementation Method 1
The perceived reflectance properties of the symbol are provided by an amount of the at least one medium applied to the substrate
Implementation Method 2
reflecting light through a display that includes a first layer and a second layer. The first layer includes cells having different reflectance properties, and the second layer is configured to reflect light through the first layer in a controlled manner
Implementation Method 3
The first layer includes translucent cells having more than one reflectance property, the second layer includes cells of variable transparency, and the third layer includes opaque cells having more than one reflectance property. The transparency of the cells of the second layer is adjustable to allow light to pass through a portion of the second layer to reflect from cells of the third layer
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes applying at least one medium to a substrate with a printing device to form a symbol. The perceived reflectance properties of the symbol are provided by an amount of the at least one medium applied to the substrate.