Patent ID: 6513906
Filing Date: 2003-02-04
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A recording method for recording an image with a plurality of pixels, each said pixel being composed of a plurality of dots of a number, comprising the steps of:providing a recording head having a plurality of recording elements arranged across a width measured in a sub-scan direction for forming the dots on a recording medium; supplying an image data including a tone level information for each of said pixels to the recording head; causing a first main scan by effecting a first relative movement between said recording head and said recording medium in a first direction in which each said pixel is recorded with a fraction of the number of the dots by a particular said recording element, each said number of dots corresponding to a particular said tone level for said pixel composed of said number of said dots; causing a sub-scan by effecting a second relative movement between said recording head and said recording medium in the sub-scan direction crossing the movement direction of the first main scan, in which a distance of the second relative movement in the sub-scan is less than the width; causing a second main scan in which each said pixel is recorded so that for each said pixel, a portion of the number of the dots are formed by a different said recording element than the particular said recording element used in said first main scan, said fraction and said portion of the number of the dots together corresponding to the tone level; and repeating the sub-scan and the second main scan to record a tone image for at least one time, so that the numbers of the dots in each of said pixels are formed using different said recording elements from each other until the tone level of said each of said pixels coincides with the tone level designated by the image data for said each of said pixels, wherein said numbers of dots are formed in individual different positions in said pixel, and wherein said plurality of dots are formed in individual different positions in at least one of the direction of said first relative movement and in the sub-scan direction of said second relative movement, and wherein adjacent said recording elements in said plurality of recording elements are not used concurrently in forming the dots, and wherein a condition b/g>(N/s)âˆ’1 is satisfied with a set of b, g, N and s, where N is the number of said recording elements of said recording head; q is a pitch of said recording elements; a plurality of consecutive said recording elements forming dots concurrently is arranged with a periodical distance bq where b is a natural number greater than or equal to 2; a displacement of said second relative movement is sq, where s is a natural number greater than or equal to 2; and g is a greatest common divisor of s and b.