Patent ID: 7422303

Claim:
An inkjet coating method for forming a coating image on a substrate by ejecting ink droplets from a plurality of nozzles formed in a head, the head having a head-surface on which the plurality of nozzles are exposed, the substrate having a substrate-surface onto which the ink droplets are ejected, the head-surface being oriented parallel to the substrate-surface, the coating image being formed, while moving either the substrate or the head, or both, in a moving-direction and placing the head-surface and the substrate-surface in confronting relation, wherein the coating image is formed from an edge image defining an outline of the coating image, and an internal image within the edge image, the method comprising: extracting edge image data indicative of the edge image from image data indicative of the coating image; adjusting a pitch of said nozzles, the pitch being a spacing between adjacent nozzles viewed from a projection in said moving direction, wherein said adjusting a pitch includes moving a first plurality of said nozzles a displacement distance along a linear axis relative to a second plurality of said nozzles, the displacement distance being in accordance with said pitch; forming an edge image on the substrate based on the edge image data, the edge image forming including forming an edge image portion extending in the moving-direction by continuously ejecting the ink droplets from a single nozzle onto the substrate, while moving either the substrate or the head, or both, in the moving-direction; and forming an internal image on the substrate after forming the edge image.