Patent ID: 6145959
Filing Date: 2000-11-14
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A method of controlling average printing density over time in an inkjet printer having a printhead with a plurality of nozzles arranged in one or more columns to produce full-height print swath across a print medium, comprising the following steps:passing the printhead repeatedly across the print medium in individual swaths;firing individual nozzles repeatedly during each printhead swath to apply an ink pattern to the print medium;prior to a particular printhead swath, predicting whether the swath has a printhead density that would raise the printhead's temperature to an unacceptably high level;if the printhead density of said particular printhead swath is predicted to raise the printhead's temperature to an unacceptably high level, using only a subset of the nozzles during said particular swath to produce a reduced-height swath with reduced print density.