Patent ID: 8801139

Claim:
In an inkjet printer including a gloss sensor and at least one printhead for depositing ink onto a surface of a sheet of media being processed therein with a controller being communicatively coupled to the at least one printhead and gloss sensor, a method for determining a drying time of a print swath of the ink deposited on the surface of the sheet of media, the method comprising: forming a print swath on side of the sheet of media with the at least one printhead; performing with the gloss sensor a predetermined number of sequential scans S1-Sn, where n is at least 3, on the last print swath forming a corresponding number of gloss sensor output responses; processing the gloss sensor output responses to determine corresponding gloss values G1-Gn; and for at least three consecutive scans: calculating a first percent difference between corresponding gloss values for the first and second scans of the at least three consecutive scans and a second percent difference for the second and third scans of the at least three consecutive scans; determining if the first percent difference is above a first threshold and, if so, selecting a first predetermined drying time and if the first percent difference is not above the first threshold: determining if the second percent difference is above a second threshold and, if so, selecting a second predetermined drying time that is greater than the first predetermined drying time, and, if the second percent difference is not above the second threshold, selecting the first predetermined drying time.