Patent ID: 8363249

Claim:
A method of printing comprising the steps of: (i) operatively positioning a swipe printer relative to a surface and swiping the printer across the surface; (ii) printing, during said swipe, successive parts of a position-coding pattern as a trail onto said surface; (iii) printing, during said swipe, successive parts of a graphic image onto the surface, said position-coding pattern and said graphic image being superimposed; (iv) imaging, during said swipe and using a first image sensor, portions of said surface on which said printhead has printed said trail of the position-coding pattern; (v) determining, during said swipe, absolute positions of the printhead using imaged parts of the position-coding pattern; and (vi) using the absolute positions to control, during said swipe, printing of the position-coding pattern and the graphic image, wherein the first image sensor is positioned downstream of said printhead relative to a swipe direction.