Patent ID: 8503033
Filing Date: 2013-08-06
Classification: B41J,H05K,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method for manufacturing a printing device that includes a dither mask that is used in a halftone process and in which thresholds are stored in a plurality of storage elements comprising: configuring the printing device that has a plurality of printing heads arranged in a printing region so that a region of a first one of the printing heads and a region of a second one of the printing heads are adjacent to each other and overlap each other in a direction in which the printing heads are arranged, other regions of the first and second printing heads do not overlap each other in the direction in which the printing heads are arranged, and the printing heads perform printing and eject ink while moving the printing heads relative to the printing medium; assigning, to some of the storage elements of the dither mask, a first dither mask region that is used for a printing portion of the first printing head, and assigning, to the other storage elements of the dither mask, a second dither mask region that is used for a printing portion of the second printing head, the printing portion of the first printing head being configured to perform printing and included in the overlapping region and non-overlapping region of the first printing head, the printing portion of the second printing head being configured to perform printing and included in the overlapping region and non-overlapping region of the second printing head; preparing predetermined evaluation values that are used to evaluate the dither mask and each vary depending on whether a threshold that is used for any of the overlapping regions is stored in the first dither mask region or the second dither mask region; generating the dither mask by determining, using the predetermined evaluation values, the storage elements in which the thresholds are to be stored under the condition that dots are permitted to be formed by the first and second printing heads at the same position in a printing region that corresponds to the overlapping regions; and storing the generated dither mask in a storage medium of the printing device so that a computer is capable of reading the dither mask.