Patent ID: 6847465
Filing Date: 2005-01-25
Classification: B41J,G06K

Abstract:
1. A method for determining a print image quality capability indicator of an ink-jet hard copy apparatus based on current actual operational conditions of the apparatus, comprising the steps of: storing a plurality of predetermined ink-jet printing operation attributes related to output print image quality, the step of storing further comprising determining a set of operational attributes related to print image quality produced by the ink-jet hard copy apparatus, assigning a series of scaled values to each of said operational attributes such that each of the scaled values is representative of a predetermined level of performance of each of the respective operational attributes, and storing a look-up table wherein a correlated scaled value is selected based on the current actual operating conditions; normalizing each selected scaled value to a common standard; monitoring during printing a plurality of ink-jet printing operating characteristics corresponding to said operating attributes; comparing said operating characteristics to said attributes, the step of comparing further comprising selecting for a current operational attribute of the ink-jet hard copy apparatus the scaled value representative of a predetermined level of performance indicative of a current operational condition; and based on comparing said operating characteristics to said attributes, assigning a print image quality capability indicator for each of the operating characteristics representative of current actual operational conditions, the step of assigning further comprising deriving from a summation of each selected scaled value of all the printing attributes the value representative of print image quality availability based on the current actual operational conditions of the hard copy apparatus.