Patent ID: 6659580
Filing Date: 2003-12-09
Classification: B41J,G06K

Abstract:
A printing apparatus for printing an image on a printing medium using a printhead having a plurality of orifices arranged along a predetermined direction, comprising:main scanning means for performing relative scanning with the printhead along a main scanning direction; subscanning means for relatively moving the printing medium along a subscanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction; printing control means for setting a relative moving amount of the printing medium by said subscanning means to be smaller than a width of an image corresponding to the plurality of orifices in the subscanning direction, and scanning a predetermined printing area of the printing medium with the printhead a plurality of times; generation means for generating a mask table for outputting print data corresponding to each of a plurality of scanning operations; specification means for specifying, from among the plurality of orifices, a discharge orifice having failure; change means for changing contents of the mask table, generated by said generation means, in accordance with a position of the specified discharge orifice experiencing failure among the plurality of orifices, wherein, when a failure occurs at a predetermined orifice among the plurality of orifices, said change means changes the contents of the mask table generated by said generation means so as to print dots to be printed by the specified discharge orifice experiencing the failure according to the mask table generated by said generation means, using remaining main scannings except one main scanning for printing by the specified discharge orifice experiencing the failure in a plurality of main scannings by said printing control means; and output means for outputting print data corresponding to each of the plurality of orifices on the basis of image information corresponding to an image to be printed using the mask table, wherein said printing control means prints an image on the printing medium on the basis of print data output from said output means.