Patent ID: 7614723
Filing Date: 2009-11-10
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A printing system comprising: a) a printing apparatus including a fixed print head having a plurality of nozzles arranged in an array in corresponding relation to each of a plurality of color components, said printing apparatus ejecting ink from said plurality of nozzles based on predetermined printing data described in raster format to perform printing on a printing sheet; and b) a controller for said printing apparatus, said controller including b-1) an acquisition element for acquiring print job data, b-2) a generation element for generating said printing data in accordance with descriptions of said print job data, b-3) a judgment element for judging whether flushing ejection from each of said plurality of nozzles is necessary or not to identify a flushing-needed nozzle among said plurality of nozzles, b-4) a flushing ejection adjustment element for determining landing positions to which said flushing-needed nozzle applies ink during said flushing ejection and for adjusting the amount of ink ejection in said landing positions to generate adjustment data having described therein information about said landing positions and the amount of ink ejection after said adjustment, and b-5) an instruction element for instructing said printing apparatus to perform printing based on said printing data and said adjustment data, said judgment element calculating the amount of ink ejection from each of said plurality of nozzles in the case of executing a printing process for said print job data in said printing apparatus, based on descriptions of said printing data, thereby to judge whether said flushing ejection from each of said plurality of nozzles is necessary or not, based on a result of the calculation, said flushing ejection adjustment element identifying a low saturation region based on said printing data to determine said low saturation region as a target for said landing positions, said low saturation region appearing in a printed sheet when a printing process for said print job data is performed in said printing apparatus, and said flushing ejection adjustment element also adjusting the amount of ink ejection from some of said plurality of nozzles which are other than said flushing-needed nozzle and which have the same landing positions as said flushing-needed nozzle so that a hue in said landing positions is approximately maintained after said flushing ejection when said flushing ejection adjustment element adjusts the amount of ink ejection in said landing positions to which said flushing-needed nozzle applies ink during said flushing ejection.