Patent ID: 9469123
Filing Date: 2016-10-18
CPC Classification: B41J

Claim Text:
1. A printing system for printing an image on a unit region of a print medium according to image data by effecting plural print scans of plural nozzle arrays configured to respectively eject chromatic color inks and nozzle arrays configured to respectively eject achromatic color inks including a first achromatic color ink that is black ink and a second achromatic color ink which has a lower coloring material concentration than the first achromatic color ink on the unit region, the plural nozzle arrays for the chromatic and achromatic color inks being arranged in a print scan direction without being shifted from one another in a direction crossing the print scan direction, the printing system comprising: a color conversion unit configured to convert the image data into a plurality of color signals corresponding to the first achromatic color ink, the second achromatic color ink and the chromatic color inks, respectively; and a defining unit for defining pixels permitted to print and pixels not permitted to print for each of the print scans and for each of the plural nozzle arrays for the chromatic and achromatic color inks according to the plurality of color signals, wherein, in a case where the input image data represents a chromatic color, the color conversion unit converts the input image data into the plurality of color signals such that an amount of the second achromatic color ink applied to the unit region is greater than an amount of the first achromatic color ink applied to the unit region, and the defining unit defines such that there are more pixels permitted to print for the second achromatic color ink than pixels permitted to print for any of the first achromatic color ink and the chromatic color inks on the unit region, in the last print scan among the plural print scans.