JP7067583B2 - Control device and computer program - Google Patents

Description

The present specification relates to a technique for controlling a print execution unit, and more particularly to a technique for controlling a print execution unit that ejects inks of a plurality of colors to print an image.

A print head having multiple types of nozzles for ejecting multiple types of ink (for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink) and a storage unit for accommodating multiple types of ink (for example, ink cartridges for each color). ), A printer including an ink supply unit that supplies inks of a plurality of colors to a print head is known. In these printers, for example, when the temperature of the ink is relatively low, the viscosity of the ink is high, so that the ink supply from the ink accommodating portion to the print head is likely to be delayed. Further, when the amount of a specific type of ink (for example, black ink) used per unit time is large, a delay in the supply of the specific type of ink occurs, and a portion having the color of the specific type of ink in the printed image. Is lightened, and the image quality of the printed image is deteriorated.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for reducing the amount of ink ejected around a predetermined time by temporarily stopping the print head outside the recording range when the ink supply is likely to be delayed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-214727

However, in the above technique, although deterioration of image quality due to a delay in ink supply can be suppressed, there is a problem that the printing time becomes long.

The present specification discloses a new technique capable of suppressing a delay in ink supply and suppressing deterioration of the image quality of a printed image without lengthening the printing time.

The techniques disclosed herein have been made to solve at least a portion of the above problems and can be realized as the following application examples.

[Application Example 1] A printing head having a nozzle for ejecting black pigment ink, a nozzle for ejecting black dye ink, and an ink for supplying the pigment ink and the black ink of the dye to the print head. A control device for controlling a print execution unit including a supply unit, wherein the acquisition unit for acquiring target image data representing a target image and the print execution unit are controlled by using the target image data to control the target. First, the print control unit includes a print control unit that executes a print process for printing an image, and the print control unit is unlikely to delay the supply of the black ink of the pigment from the ink supply unit to the print head. In the second case, where the target image is printed using the ink of the pigment, and the black ink of the pigment is likely to be delayed in the supply from the ink supply unit to the print head, and the pigment of the pigment. A control device that prints the target image using only the black ink of the dye when the paper that affects the image quality due to the difference in the penetration method between the black ink and the black ink of the dye is not used. ..

According to the above configuration, when the supply of the black pigment ink to the print head is likely to be delayed, the target image is printed using the black ink of a dye different from the pigment ink. As a result, for example, the amount of black pigment used per unit time can be reduced without providing a waiting time. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the delay in the supply of the black pigment ink from the ink supply unit to the print head without lengthening the printing time, and to suppress the deterioration of the image quality of the printed image.

The present invention can be realized in various other forms, for example, a printing device, a control method of a print execution unit, a computer program for realizing the functions of these devices and methods, and a computer program thereof are recorded. It can be realized in the form of a recording medium or the like.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the multifunction device 100 in 1st Example. It is a figure which shows the schematic structure of the multifunction device 100 mainly in the structure of a print execution unit 200. It is a flowchart of the printing process of 1st Example. It is explanatory drawing of CMYK image data. It is explanatory drawing of the table group TS. It is a figure which shows an example of the substitution rate determination table RDT conceptually. It is a figure which shows the partial image PI conceptually. It is explanatory drawing of the change of the number of main scanning lines. It is a flowchart of the printing process of 2nd Example. It is a figure which shows an example of the target image IM2.

A. First Example:
A-1. Configuration of multifunction device:
Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on examples. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the multifunction device 100 in the first embodiment.

The multifunction device 100 includes a CPU 110 as a controller for controlling the multifunction device 100, a volatile storage device 120 such as a DRAM, a non-volatile storage device 130 such as a flash memory, a display unit 140 such as a liquid crystal display, and a touch panel and buttons. It includes an operation unit 150 including, a communication unit 160, a print execution unit 200, and a read execution unit 300.

The volatile storage device 120 is used, for example, as a buffer area 121 for temporarily storing various intermediate data used when the CPU 110 executes the computer program PG.

The non-volatile storage device 130 stores a computer program PG, a table group TS, and an ink remaining amount data IRD, which will be described later. By executing the computer program PG, the CPU 110 controls various functions for controlling the multifunction device 100, for example, a printing function for controlling the printing execution unit 200 to execute printing, and a reading execution unit 300 for scanning data. It realizes a scanning function to generate and a facsimile function to send and receive image data via a telephone line. The table group TS includes various tables (FIGS. 5 and 6) described later. The computer program PG and the table group TS are stored in the non-volatile storage device 130 in advance at the time of shipment of the multifunction device 100, for example. Instead of this, the computer program PG and the table group TS may be provided in a form recorded on a DVD-ROM or the like or in a form of being net-wound from the server.

The communication unit 160 includes an interface for connecting to an external device, and is used for data communication with the external device. For example, the communication unit 160 includes an interface for connecting to a terminal device such as a personal computer 400 via a LAN, and an interface for connecting to a network TN of an analog telephone line.

The scanning execution unit 300 includes an image sensor and acquires scan data by optically scanning the document. For example, the reading execution unit 300 is also used in the facsimile function to generate image data to be transmitted using a telephone line.

The print execution unit 200 is an inkjet printing mechanism that ejects and prints cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (hereinafter, abbreviated as C, M, Y, and K, respectively) inks. The print execution unit 200 prints by ejecting each ink of CMYK and forming dots on the paper. The print execution unit 200 includes a main scanning unit 210, a sub-scanning unit 220, a print head 230, a head drive unit 240, an ink supply unit 250, and a temperature sensor 260.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the multifunction device 100 centering on the configuration of the print execution unit 200. FIG. 2A shows an outline of the overall configuration of the multifunction device 100. As shown in FIG. 2A, the print execution unit 200 of the multifunction machine 100 further includes paper trays 281 and 282 for accommodating paper M (for example, A4 size paper) as a print medium, and after printing. A paper ejection tray 283 from which the paper M is ejected and a platen 270 arranged to face the ink ejection surface of the print head 230 are provided (FIG. 2A).

The main scanning unit 210 includes a carriage 213 on which the print head 230 is mounted, a sliding shaft 214 that movably holds the carriage 213 along the main scanning direction (FIG. 2: Y direction), and a main scanning motor (not shown). It is equipped with. The main scanning unit 210 reciprocates the carriage 213 along the sliding shaft 214 by using the power of the main scanning motor. As a result, the main scan in which the print head 230 is reciprocated along the main scan direction with respect to the print medium such as the paper M is realized.

The sub-scanning unit 220 includes a pair of upstream rollers 223 and a pair of downstream rollers 224 arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of the platen 270, respectively, and a plurality of transport rollers, and a sub-scanning motor (not shown). .. The sub-scanning unit 220 uses the power of the sub-scanning motor to transport the paper M from the paper trays 281 and 282 along the transport path RT that passes over the platen 270 and reaches the paper output tray 283. As a result, the sub-scanning in which the print medium is moved along the sub-scanning direction intersecting the main scanning direction with respect to the print head 230 is realized. The arrow AR indicates the transport direction of the paper M on the platen 270 (the positive direction (+ X direction) of the X axis in FIG. 2), that is, the above-mentioned sub-scanning direction.

The ink supply unit 250 supplies ink of a plurality of colors to the print head 230. The ink supply unit 250 includes a cartridge mounting unit 251, a tube 252, and a buffer tank 253. An ink cartridge CTG, which is a container containing ink, is detachably mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 251, and ink is supplied from the ink cartridge CTG. The buffer tank 253 is arranged above the print head 230 in the carriage 213 and temporarily accommodates ink to be supplied to the print head 230. The tube 252 is an ink flow path connecting the cartridge mounting portion 251 and the buffer tank 253. The ink in the ink cartridge CTG is supplied to the print head 230 via the cartridge mounting portion 251, the tube 252, and the buffer tank 253. Although only one ink cartridge CTG, a cartridge mounting portion 251 and a tube 252 and a buffer tank 253 are shown in FIG. 2 in order to avoid complication of the drawing, a plurality of types of ink that can be ejected from the print head 230 are shown in FIG. Specifically, it is provided for each of C, M, Y, and K inks.

FIG. 2B shows a view of the print head 230 viewed from the −Z side toward the + Z side. The print head 230 has a plurality of types of nozzles Nz for ejecting a plurality of types of ink. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2B, the surfaces of the print head 230 facing the platen 270 (the surface on the −Z side of the print head 230) are each of the above-mentioned C, M, Y, and K. Nozzle rows NC, NM, NY, and NK for ejecting ink are formed. Each nozzle row contains a plurality of nozzles Nz arranged along the sub-scanning direction. The length of each nozzle row in the sub-scanning direction (also referred to as nozzle length) is defined as NL. The nozzle rows NC, NM, NY, and NK for ejecting the inks C, M, Y, and K are arranged in a predetermined order in the main scanning direction. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 (B), K, C, M, and Y are arranged in the order from the + Y side to the −Y side.

Each nozzle Nz is connected to the buffer tank 253 via an ink flow path (not shown) formed inside the print head 230. An actuator (not shown) for ejecting ink along each ink flow path inside the print head 230 is provided.

The head drive unit 240 drives each actuator in the print head 230 according to the print data supplied from the CPU 110 during the main scan by the main scan unit 210. As a result, the ink is ejected from the print head 230 onto the print medium moved by the sub-scanning unit 220. As a result, dots are formed on the print medium.

The CPU 110 controls the main scanning unit 210, the sub-scanning unit 220, and the head driving unit 240 of the print execution unit 200, and includes one main scanning process (also referred to as a path) and one sub-scanning process. Printing is performed by repeatedly executing a set of processes over a plurality of times. The one-time main scanning process is a process of printing a partial image which is a part of an image to be printed by driving the print head 230 while performing one main scanning in a state where the transfer of the paper M is stopped. Is. One sub-scanning process is a process of transporting paper by a specific transport amount.

Here, when the ink is ejected from the nozzle Nz, the ink in the buffer tank 253 is reduced by the amount of the ink ejected, so that a negative pressure is generated in the buffer tank 253. Due to the negative pressure, ink is supplied from the ink cartridge CTG to the buffer tank 253 via the cartridge mounting portion 251 and the tube 252. When ink of a specific color among C, M, Y, and K, for example, black ink (hereinafter, also referred to as K ink) is ejected in large quantities from a plurality of nozzles Nz within a short time for printing. , There may be a delay in the supply of the specific color ink to the buffer tank 253. When such a delay in the supply of ink occurs, even if the actuator is driven, a problem occurs in which ink of a specific color is not ejected from the nozzle Nz, or a problem occurs in which a smaller amount than expected is ejected. When such a problem occurs, the specific color becomes lighter in the printed image, and the image quality deteriorates. Ink supply delays are more likely to occur when the ink fluidity is reduced. For example, if the temperature inside the multifunction device 100 (that is, the temperature of the print execution unit 200) becomes excessively low, the viscosity of the ink increases and the fluidity of the ink decreases, so that the ink supply is delayed. Cheap. As can be seen from the above explanation, when the temperature inside the multifunction device 100 is below the standard and the amount of ink of a specific color ejected (that is, the amount of dots formed) is above the standard within a unit time. , Ink supply delay is especially likely to occur.

The ink remaining amount data IRD of FIG. 1 is data showing the remaining amount of each ink of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (hereinafter, abbreviated as C, M, Y, and K, respectively) used by the print execution unit 200. The CPU 110 manages the remaining amount of each ink by using the ink remaining amount data IRD. For example, the CPU 110 detects the replacement of the ink cartridge CTG by detecting that the ink cartridge CTG has been removed from the cartridge mounting portion 251 and that the ink cartridge CTG has been mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 251. Then, for each ink, the CPU 110 counts the cumulative usage amount from the time when the ink cartridge CTG is replaced, for example, based on the print data, and the cumulative usage amount is the initial storage amount of the ink in the ink cartridge CTG. The remaining amount of each ink is calculated by subtracting from the value. The CPU 110 calculates the remaining amount of each ink and updates the ink remaining amount data IRD each time printing is performed. In the modified example, the ink cartridge CTG may be provided with a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of ink, and the CPU 110 may detect the remaining amount of each ink by using the sensor.

A-2. Printing process:
A printing process for printing a target image by controlling a print execution unit 200 using the target image data will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the printing process of the first embodiment. This printing process is performed by the CPU 110 to print the monochrome image represented by the facsimile data. This printing process is started, for example, when the communication unit 160 receives facsimile data via a telephone line. Monochrome images are represented only in black. For this reason, if the monochrome image includes, for example, a solid area, when printing the monochrome image, a large amount of K ink is ejected within a unit time to supply the above-mentioned ink. Delays tend to occur. In the printing process of this embodiment, a device is devised to suppress the occurrence of delay in the supply of ink and to suppress the deterioration of the image quality of the printed image.

In S105, the CPU 110 acquires the received facsimile data as target image data representing the target image to be printed. The received facsimile data is compressed according to a standard such as FAXG3.

In S110, the CPU 110 executes a color conversion process on the target image data to acquire CMYK image data. Specifically, the CPU 110 decompresses the compressed target image data and acquires binary image data in which the target image is represented by ON pixels and OFF pixels. This binary image data is, for example, image data representing an A4 size original with a number of pixels corresponding to vertical 200 dpi × horizontal 200 dpi. The CPU 110 converts the binary image data into RGB image data representing the color of each pixel with RGB values. The CPU 110 further converts RGB image data into CMYK image data that represents the color of each pixel by the CMYK value by using a look-up table that defines the correspondence between the RGB value and the CMYK value. The CMYK value is a color value including a gradation value (for example, a value of 256 gradations) indicating the density of four color components of C, M, Y, and K corresponding to the color of the ink.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of CMYK image data. The CMYK image data generated in S110 includes component image data of each of the C, M, Y, and K components. FIG. 4A illustrates a part of the component image data of the K component and a part of the component image data of the C, M, and Y components. In the color conversion process, the ON pixel value of the binary image data before conversion is converted into a CMYK value (0, 0, 0, 255) indicating black, and the OFF pixel value is a CMYK value indicating white. It is converted to (0, 0, 0, 0). Therefore, the value of each pixel of the component image data of the K component is either 255 or 0. Since the component image data of the K component in FIG. 4A shows a solid-painted portion, the values of all the pixels are set to 255. As shown in FIG. 4A, the values of each pixel of the component image data of the C, M, and Y components are all 0.

In S115, the CPU 110 acquires the temperature Td in the multifunction device 100 by detecting the temperature in the multifunction device 100 using the temperature sensor 260.

In S120, the CPU 110 determines the allowable amount Mk of K ink based on the acquired temperature Td. Specifically, the allowable amount of K ink is determined with reference to the allowable amount table AT included in the table group TS (FIG. 1).

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the table group TS. FIG. 5A shows an example of the allowance table AT. In the allowable amount table AT, the allowable amounts M1 to M5 of K ink are associated with the plurality of temperatures T1 to T5, respectively. The permissible amount M1 corresponding to the temperature T1 indicates an upper limit value of the K ink ejection amount permissible in one main scanning process when the temperature in the multifunction device 100 is T1. As the allowable amounts M1 to M5, in this embodiment, a value converted into a total value of gradation values indicating the density of the K component is used. For example, the manufacturer of the multifunction device 100 has experimented with the upper limit of the number of dots of K ink that can be formed in one main scanning process in an environment of temperature T1 without causing a delay in the supply of K ink. To decide. Then, the manufacturer of the multifunction device 100 determines the allowable amount M1 corresponding to the temperature T1 by multiplying the upper limit of the number of dots by the concentration corresponding to 1 dot (for example, 255). In the allowable amount table AT, the correspondence relationship between the temperatures T1 to T5 and the allowable amounts M1 to M5 thus determined in advance is recorded.

The CPU 110 determines, for example, the allowable amount Mk of K ink corresponding to the temperature Td in the multifunction device 100 by a complementary calculation using a plurality of temperatures recorded in the allowable amount table AT and the corresponding allowable amounts. do.

In S125, the CPU 110 selects the partial image PI corresponding to one main scanning process as the attention partial image among the target image IMs represented by the target image data (CMYK image data) that has undergone color conversion processing. FIG. 4B shows an outline of the target image IM printed on the paper M. As shown in FIG. 4B, the target image IM is divided into a plurality of partial image PIs and printed by a plurality of main scanning processes. At this point, the maximum printable partial image PI, that is, the width corresponding to the transport direction at the time of printing, that is, the partial image PI in which the width in the X direction in FIG. 4B is the nozzle length NL is Selected as a partial image of interest. For example, in the first S125, the nozzle length is from the partial image PI1 corresponding to the first main scanning process, that is, the end of the target image IM corresponding to the downstream side in the transport direction (the end on the + X side of FIG. 4B). The partial image PI1 for NL is selected. In the kth (k is an integer of 2 or more) S125, the nozzle adjacent to the −X side of the partial image PI (k-1) printed by the (k-1) th main scanning process (S175 described later). The partial image PIk for the long NL is selected.

In S130, the CPU 110 calculates the total value Tk of the K component values of the attention partial image using the partial image data representing the attention partial image. That is, the CPU 110 calculates the total value Tk by summing all the values of the K components of the plurality of pixels included in the partial image data representing the partial image of interest.

In S135, the CPU 110 determines whether or not the total value Tk calculated in S130 is larger than the allowable amount Mk calculated in S120. When the total value Tk is larger than the allowable amount Mk, it can be determined that there is a relatively high possibility that the supply of K ink will be delayed when the attention portion image is printed without performing S140 to S165 described later. When the total value Tk is equal to or less than the allowable amount Mk, it can be determined that there is a relatively low possibility that the supply of K ink will be delayed even if the attention portion image is printed without performing S140 to S165 described later. ..

When the total value Tk is equal to or less than the allowable amount Mk (S135: NO), the CPU 110 proceeds to S170 without performing the processing of S140 to S165. If the total value Tk is larger than the allowable amount Mk (S135: YES), the CPU 110 proceeds to S140.

In S140, the CPU 110 determines whether or not any of the remaining amounts of ink in C, M, and Y is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value TH. As described above, the remaining amount of each ink is recorded in the ink remaining amount data IRD.

When all of the remaining amounts of the inks C, M, and Y are equal to or higher than the threshold value TH (S140: YES), in S145, the CPU 110 determines the replacement rate of the black pixel. Specifically, the CPU 110 determines the first substitution rate RR1 and the second substitution rate RR2 with reference to the substitution rate determination table RDT included in the table group TS. The first replacement rate RR1 is the ratio of the pixels to be the target of the first replacement processing among the black pixels included in the partial image PI to be processed. The second replacement rate RR2 is the ratio of the black pixels included in the partial image PI to be processed to be the target of the first replacement process. The black pixel, the first replacement process, and the second replacement process will be described later.

FIG. 6 is a diagram conceptually showing an example of the substitution rate determination table RDT. As shown in FIG. 6, for example, the substitution rate determination table RDT defines a correspondence relationship between the total value Tk and the first substitution rate RR1 and a correspondence relationship between the total value Tk and the second substitution rate RR2, respectively. It's a table. These correspondences are defined using four thresholds Mk, THa, THb, THc including the allowable amount Mk. The threshold THa is larger than the allowable amount Mk, the threshold THb is larger than the threshold THa, and the threshold THc is larger than the threshold THb (Mk <THa <THb <THc).

As shown in FIG. 6, in the range where the total value Tk is larger than the allowable amount Mk, at least one of the first substitution rate RR1 and the second substitution rate RR2 is set to a value larger than 0. In the first range (range of Mk <Tk ≦ THa) where the total value Tk is larger than the allowable amount Mk and is equal to or less than the threshold value, the first substitution rate RR1 increases as the total value Tk increases. Inclination), it increases linearly. In the first range, the second substitution rate RR2 is 0. In the second range (range of THa <Tk ≦ THb) where the total value Tk is larger than the threshold value THa and equal to or less than the threshold value THb, the first substitution rate RR1 is in the first range as the total value Tk increases. The rate of increase is smaller than the rate of increase, and it increases linearly. In the second range, the second substitution rate RR2 increases linearly at a predetermined rate of increase as the total value Tk increases. In the third range (range of THb <Tk ≦ THc) where the total value Tk is larger than the threshold value THb and is equal to or less than the threshold value THc, the first substitution rate RR1 decreases linearly as the total value Tk increases. When the total value Tk = THc, it becomes 0. In the third range, the second substitution rate RR2 increases linearly with an increase rate larger than the increase rate in the second range as the total value Tk increases. In the fourth range (THc <Tk range) where the total value Tk is larger than the threshold value THc, the first substitution rate RR1 is 0, and the second substitution rate RR2 is a straight line with an increase rate smaller than the increase rate in the third range. Increases.

The first replacement rate RR1 and the second replacement rate RR2 are the partial image data showing the partial image PI after the replacement process of S160 described later, in which the total value Tk of the pixel values of the K component is reduced to the allowable amount Mk or less. It is set to be done.

In S150, the CPU 110 uses the partial image data representing the attention partial image to extract a plurality of black pixels from the plurality of pixels included in the attention partial image as candidates for the plurality of pixels to be replaced. The black pixel is, for example, a pixel in which the value of the pixel of the K component is a predetermined reference value (for example, 240) or more. In this embodiment, in the target image data, the value of the pixel of the K component is either 255 or 0 as described above, so that the pixel having the value of the pixel of the K component of 255 is black. It is extracted as a pixel. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4A, since the K component of all the pixels is 255, all the pixels are extracted as black pixels.

In S155, the CPU 110 determines a plurality of pixels to be replaced from the plurality of extracted black pixels. Specifically, the CPU 110 determines the number PN1 of the first target pixels P1 to be the target of the first replacement process based on the first replacement rate RR1, and the second replacement based on the second replacement rate RR2. The number PN2 of the second target pixels P2 to be processed is determined. The number PN1 and PN2 are determined by multiplying the total number of pixels of the partial image of interest by the first substitution rate RR1 and the second substitution rate RR2 (PN1 = PNtotal × RR1, PN2 = PNtotal × RR2). .. The CPU 110 determines the first target pixel P1 having one PN and the second target pixel P2 having two PNs from the plurality of extracted black pixels. These pixels P1 and P2 are determined so as to be evenly distributed and arranged in the partial image of interest. For example, the first target pixel P1 with one PN is randomly determined from the extracted plurality of black pixels based on a random number, and the second target with two PNs from the remaining plurality of black pixels. Pixels P2 are randomly determined based on random numbers. In the example of FIG. 4A, the plurality of pixels surrounded by the frame line are the pixels determined to be the first target pixel P1, and the hatched plurality of pixels are determined to be the second target pixel P2. It is a pixel.

In S160, the CPU 110 executes a replacement process of replacing the values of the plurality of pixels to be replaced. Specifically, the CPU 110 replaces the CMYK value of each pixel of the first target pixel P1 having one PN by the first replacement process. The CPU 110 replaces the CMYK values of each pixel of the second target pixel P2 having two PNs by the second replacement process. The first substitution process is executed using the first substitution table RT1 of FIG. 5 (B), and the second substitution process is executed using the second substitution table RT2 of FIG. 5 (C). In the replacement tables RT1 and RT2, the value of the K component before replacement is in the range of 240 to 255, that is, the value of the K component that can be taken by the black pixel is the value of the K component before replacement and the C after replacement. , M, Y, and K are defined as corresponding to the values of each component.

In the first replacement process, the value of the K component is replaced with a value that is about half of the value before the replacement. In the second substitution process, the value of the K component is substituted with 0. Then, in the first substitution process and the second substitution process, each of the values of the C, M, and Y components is the value before the substitution (0 in this embodiment) in order to compensate for the decrease in the value of the K component due to the substitution. ) Is replaced with the values specified in the replacement tables R1 and R2. The values of C, M, and Y after the substitution are the same as each other, so that the C, M, and Y components can represent an achromatic color.

As a result, by the first replacement process, the first target pixel P1 is replaced from a CMYK value representing black with only the K component to a CMYK value representing black using four components C, M, Y, and K. To. By the second substitution processing, the second target pixel P2 has a CMYK value representing black with only the K component, and a CMYK value representing black with three components C, M, and Y without using the K component. Is replaced by. The black color represented by the CMYK value before the replacement and the color represented by the CMYK value after the replacement are substantially the same color.

In S140, when at least one of the remaining amounts of the inks C, M, and Y is less than the predetermined threshold value TH (S140: NO), the CPU 110 performs the process of S165 instead of the above-mentioned S145 to S160. Run.

In S165, the CPU 110 changes the number of main scanning lines included in the attention portion image so that the total value Tk of the K component values of the attention portion image is within the allowable amount Mk. The main scanning line is a line composed of a plurality of pixels arranged along a direction corresponding to the main scanning direction at the time of printing (Y direction in FIG. 4B) in the target image IM and the partial image PI. As described above, the attention portion image has a width in the X direction corresponding to the nozzle length NL. That is, the number of main scanning lines included in the partial image of interest is the number corresponding to the width corresponding to the nozzle length NL in the X direction.

FIG. 7 is a diagram conceptually showing the partial image PI. The partial image PI of FIG. 6 includes n main scanning lines L (1) to L (n) (where n is the number corresponding to the width corresponding to the nozzle length NL). The numbers 1 to n of the n main scanning lines L (1) to L (n) are, in order from the main scanning line located at the end corresponding to the downstream side in the transport direction (the end on the + X side in FIG. 7). It is attached. For example, the CPU 110 selects n main scanning lines L (1) to L (n) one by one in numerical order as attention lines. The CPU 110 calculates the total value of the K component values of the plurality of pixels included in the line of interest. Then, the CPU 110 sequentially calculates the total value of the K component values from the first main scanning line to the line of interest. The CPU 110 continues the calculation while sequentially changing the line of interest until the total value of the k component values becomes larger than the allowable amount Mk. For example, the total value of the K component of the main scanning lines L (1) to L (m) is smaller than the allowable amount Mk, and the total value of the K component of the main scanning lines L (1) to L (m + 1) is total. It is assumed that the total value is larger than the allowable amount Mk (m is an integer of 1 or more smaller than n). In this case, the CPU 110 ends the calculation when it is found that the total value of the K components of the main scanning lines L (1) to L (m + 1) is larger than the allowable amount Mk, and the attention portion The number of main scanning lines in the image is changed from n to m. That is, the attention partial image is a partial image including n main scanning lines L (1) to L (n) so that the total value Tk of the K component values in the attention partial image is equal to or less than the allowable amount Mk. Is changed to a partial image including m main scanning lines L (1) to L (m). In this case, the next attention partial image selected in the next S125 is a nozzle in which the main scanning line L (m + 1) is the head main scanning line (main scanning line located at the end on the + X side). It is a partial image for a long NL.

In S170, the CPU 110 executes halftone processing on the partial image data (CMYK image data) representing the partial image of interest. For example, the CPU 110 adjusts the number of pixels of the partial image data according to the print resolution (for example, vertical 300 dpi × horizontal 300 dpi). Then, the CPU 110 converts the CMYK image data whose number of pixels has been adjusted into dot data by using a known method such as a dither method or an error diffusion method. The dot data is data that represents the formation state of dots for each color component of CMYK for each pixel. The dot formation state represented by the value of each color component of each pixel of the dot data is, for example, one of "forming dots" and "not forming dots". In the modified example, the dot formation state may be four states of "forming a large dot", "forming a medium dot", "forming a small dot", and "not forming a dot".

In S175, the CPU 110 uses the generated dot data to control the print execution unit 200 to execute one main scanning process, thereby causing the print execution unit 200 to print the partial image of interest.

Here, when the processing of S145 to S160 is not performed, only the value of the K component of the CMYK image data representing the partial image of interest is a value larger than 0, and the values of each component of C, M, and Y are all values. It is 0 (FIG. 4 (A)). Therefore, the partial image of interest is printed with K ink and without using C, M, and Y inks.

On the other hand, when the processes of S145 to S160 are performed, the C, M, and Y components of the first target pixel P1 and the second target pixel P2 of the CMYK image data representing the partial image of interest are performed. The value of is larger than 0 (FIG. 4 (B)). Therefore, in the partial image of interest to be printed, the region corresponding to the first target pixel P1 and the second target pixel P2 is printed by expressing black using the inks C, M, and Y. More specifically, in the first target pixel P1, the value of the K component is a value larger than 0 (FIG. 4 (B)), so that the regions corresponding to the first target pixel P1 are C, M, Y, and K. Printed with ink. Since the value of the K component is 0 in the second target pixel P2 (FIG. 4 (B)), printing is performed using the inks C, M, and Y without using the ink K.

When the processes of S145 to S160 are performed, only the value of the K component is 0 in the pixels different from the first target pixel P1 and the second target pixel P2 in the CMYK image data representing the partial image of interest. It is a larger value, and the values of the C, M, and Y components are all 0. Therefore, in the region of interest to be printed, the region corresponding to the pixel different from the first target pixel P1 and the second target pixel P2 uses K ink and does not use C, M, Y ink. Will be printed.

In S180, the CPU 110 determines whether or not the printing of the target image is completed. When the printing of the target image is not completed (S180: NO), in S185, the CPU 110 controls the print execution unit 200 to execute one sub-scanning process, whereby the print execution unit 200 causes the print execution unit 200 to execute one sub-scanning process. A predetermined amount of paper M is conveyed in the conveying direction. After the sub-scanning process, the CPU 110 returns to S125 and selects the next attention partial image.

According to the present embodiment described above, when it is relatively unlikely that the supply of K ink from the ink supply unit 250 to the print head 230 will be delayed when printing the partial image PI, specifically, the portion. When the total value Tk of the K component values of the image PI is equal to or less than the allowable amount Mk determined based on the temperature Td in the multifunction device 100 (S135: NO), S145 to S160 in FIG. 3 described above are Not executed. Therefore, in this case, the partial image PI is printed with K ink and without using C, M, and Y inks.

Then, when there is a relatively high possibility that the supply of K ink from the ink supply unit 250 to the print head 230 is delayed, specifically, when the total value Tk is larger than the allowable amount Mk (S135: YES). ), C, M, and Y, S145 to S160 in FIG. 3 described above are executed on condition that the remaining amount of ink is equal to or higher than the threshold value. Therefore, in this case, in the partial image PI, the region corresponding to the first target pixel P1 and the second target pixel P2 is printed by using the inks of C, M, and Y to represent black, and the first. The area corresponding to a pixel different from the target pixel P1 and the second target pixel P2 is printed with K ink and without using C, M, and Y inks. As a result, for example, the amount of K ink used per unit time can be reduced without providing a waiting time for eliminating the supply delay. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the delay in the supply of K ink without lengthening the printing time, and it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the image quality of the printed image.

Further, the region corresponding to the first target pixel P1 and the second target pixel P2 described above and the region corresponding to a pixel different from the first target pixel P1 and the second target pixel P2 can be obtained by one main scan. It is an area in the partial image PI to be printed. As a result, the delay in the supply of K ink can be appropriately suppressed for each main scan. As a result, for example, it is not necessary to provide a waiting time for eliminating the delay in the supply of K ink between one main scan and the next main scan. Therefore, for example, deterioration of the image quality of the partial image PI can be suppressed without lengthening the printing time.

Further, the CPU 110 calculates a total value Tk of the values of the K components as an index value indicating the amount of K ink used when printing the partial image PI (S130 in FIG. 3). Whether or not the total value Tk is larger than the allowable amount Mk as a threshold value determines whether or not the supply of K ink is relatively likely to be delayed (S135 in FIG. 3). As a result, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not there is a relatively high possibility that the supply of K ink will be delayed, so that the delay in the supply of K ink can be appropriately suppressed.

Since the delay in ink supply is more likely to occur as the viscosity of the ink is higher, the delay in ink supply is more likely to occur as the temperature Td in the multifunction device 100 is lower. In this embodiment, the allowable amount Mk as a threshold value is determined to be an appropriate value according to the temperature Td in the multifunction device 100 based on the temperature Td in the multifunction device 100 (S120 in FIG. 3). As a result, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not there is a relatively high possibility that the supply of K ink will be delayed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, when the total value Tk is larger than the allowable amount Mk as the first threshold value, the first substitution rate RR1 is set to a value larger than 0. Therefore, when the total value Tk is larger than the allowable amount Mk, the first substitution process is performed. That is, when the total value Tk is larger than the allowable amount Mk, the image in the region corresponding to the first target pixel P1 is represented by using K ink and inks of C, M, and Y to represent black. Is printed. Further, when the total value Tk is larger than the allowable amount THa as the second threshold value, the second substitution rate RR2 is set to a value larger than 0. Therefore, when the total value Tk is larger than the allowable amount THa, the second substitution process is performed. That is, when the total value Tk is larger than the allowable amount Tha, black is represented by using C, M, and Y inks without using K ink, so that the area corresponding to the second target pixel P2 is formed. The image is printed. As a result, the ink used for printing in the area corresponding to the pixel to be replaced can be appropriately switched according to the total value Tk.

For example, when K ink and C, M, and Y inks are used to represent black, the amount of K ink used can be reduced by the amount of K ink used, but C and M are relatively small. Since the amount of Y ink used can be relatively small, it is possible to suppress fluctuations in image quality when compared with normal printing using only K ink. Further, when black is expressed by using C, M, and Y inks without using K ink, the amount of K ink used can be reduced to a relatively large extent because K ink is not used, but C Since the amount of the M and Y inks used is relatively large, the fluctuation in image quality may be large as compared with the normal time when printing is performed only with the K ink. In this embodiment, as the total value Tk increases, that is, as the amount of K ink to be reduced increases, the replacement process performed stepwise from the first replacement process to the second replacement process. Can be switched. As a result, it is possible to suppress fluctuations in the image quality of the printed image while suppressing delays in the supply of K ink.

Further, when it is not possible to express black color using the inks of C, M, and Y, specifically, when all of the remaining ink amounts of C, M, and Y are equal to or less than the threshold value TH (FIG. 3). S140: NO), the CPU 110 reduces the number of main scanning lines included in the partial image PI whose total value Tk is larger than the allowable amount Mk so that the total value Tk becomes the allowable amount Mk (S165 in FIG. 3). .. Further, the number of main scanning lines included in the partial image PI whose total value Tk is equal to or less than the allowable amount Mk is not changed (S135: NO in FIG. 3). As a result, even when it is not possible to represent black using the C, M, and Y inks, the amount of K ink used when printing one partial image PI can be reduced. Since there is some time before the next partial image PI is printed, the delay in ink supply can be eliminated during this time. As a result, even when the black color cannot be expressed by using the C, M, and Y inks, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the image quality of the printed image. Further, only the number of main scanning lines included in the partial image PI whose total value Tk is larger than the allowable amount Mk is reduced, and the number of main scanning lines included in the partial image PI whose total value Tk is equal to or less than the allowable amount Mk is changed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the printing time from becoming excessively long.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of changing the number of main scanning lines. FIG. 8A shows how a specific target image IM is printed on the paper M when the allowable amount Mk is 10000. In the example of FIG. (a), the total value Tk of the values of the K components of the first to third partial images PI1 to PI3 of the target image IM is 4800, 7200, and 3200, respectively, both of which are the allowable amounts of Mk or less. Suppose there is. In this case, the number of main scanning lines is not changed for any of the partial images PI1 to PI3. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 8A, the widths of the partial images PI1 to PI3 in the X direction are all initial values of the nozzle length NL.

FIG. 8B shows how the target image IMb is printed on the paper M using the same target image data as in the example of FIG. 8A when the allowable amount Mk is 5000. In this case, among the first to third partial images PI1b to PI3b of the target image IMb, the first partial image PI1b is the same as the first partial image PI1 in FIG. 8A. Then, in the second partial image PI2b, unlike the second partial image PI2 in FIG. 8A, the total value Tk of the K component values is such that the allowable amount Mk = 5000 or less of the main scanning line. The number has been reduced. Therefore, the width SL of the second partial image PI2b in the X direction is shorter than the nozzle length NL. In the third partial image PI3b, since the total value Tk of the values of the K components is the allowable amount Mk = 5000 or less, the number of main scanning lines is not changed. Therefore, the width of the third partial image PI3b in the X direction is the nozzle length NL. In this way, among the plurality of partial image PIs in the image, the number of main scanning lines is selectively reduced only for the partial image in which the total value Tk of the K component values is larger than the allowable amount Mk. Therefore, for example, The number of main scanning processes can be reduced as compared with the case where the number of main scanning lines is reduced for all partial images. As a result, it is possible to prevent the K ink supply from being delayed without excessively lengthening the printing time.

As can be seen from the above description, the region corresponding to the first target pixel P1 and the second target pixel P2 in the partial image PI printed on the paper M is an example of the second region, and the first target pixel. The region corresponding to a pixel different from P1 and the second target pixel P2 is an example of the first region.

B. 2nd Example FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the printing process of the 2nd embodiment. In the second embodiment, S145B and S150B of FIG. 9 are executed instead of S145 to S155 of FIG. The other steps in FIG. 9 are the same as the steps with the same reference numerals in FIG.

In S145B, the CPU 110 analyzes the partial image data representing the partial image of interest to form a character area which is an area containing characters and a non-character area which is an area containing an object (for example, a photograph or a line drawing) different from the characters. To identify.

Various known methods can be adopted as a method for detecting the character region and the non-character region from the partial image of interest. For example, the partial image of interest is divided into a plurality of processing areas (for example, a rectangular area having a predetermined size), and the dispersion of pixel values (for example, luminance value) is calculated for each processing area. Then, a processing area having a variance smaller than a predetermined threshold value is specified as a character area, and a processing area having a variance equal to or higher than the threshold value is specified as a non-character area. The region is not limited to dispersion, and various other information (for example, the number of colors used in each processing region) can be adopted. Alternatively, a character region may be specified by using a character recognition process used in a known OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technique.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the target image IM2. The target image IM2 of FIG. 10A includes a character region Tx including characters and a non-character region Dr showing a line drawing. Therefore, the plurality of partial images PI1 to PI4 performed when printing the target image IM2 may include a part of the character area Tx and a part of the non-character area Dr. For example, when the second partial image PI2 in FIG. 10B, which is the second partial image PI4 of the target image IM2, is a partial image of interest, in S145B as shown in FIG. 10B. , The character area TA and the non-character area DA are specified.

In S150B, the CPU 110 determines a plurality of pixels included in the non-character region as replacement target pixels. The plurality of pixels included in the non-character region may be determined as the first target pixel P1 or may be determined as the second target pixel P2. Alternatively, a part of the plurality of pixels included in the non-character region may be determined as the first target pixel P1, and the remaining part of the pixels may be determined as the second target pixel P2.

According to the second embodiment described above, the region printed by expressing black using the inks C, M, and Y, that is, the region corresponding to the first target pixel P1 and the second target pixel P2 is It is a non-character area. Then, the area to be printed with K ink and without using C, M, and Y inks, that is, the area corresponding to a pixel different from the first target pixel P1 and the second target pixel P2 is a character area. Is. As a result, since the pixel to be replaced is appropriately determined depending on the type of the object included in the partial image of interest, it is possible to further suppress the deterioration of the image quality of the printed image due to the replacement process of S160. ..

More specifically, when black is expressed by using only K ink, the sharpness of the edge tends to be high. When using C, M, and Y inks to represent black, the sharpness of the edges tends to be low. For characters, the higher the sharpness of the edge, the easier it is to read and the better the appearance. Therefore, it is preferable that the character area is printed using only K ink from the viewpoint of image quality. In photographs and drawings, color tonality is more important than the sharpness of edges from the viewpoint of image quality, as compared to characters. For this reason, it is not necessary to print the non-character area using only K ink, and depending on the image, it is printed by expressing black using C, M, and Y inks from the viewpoint of image quality. In some cases, it is preferable. Therefore, in the second embodiment, as described above, the area printed by expressing black color using C, M, and Y inks is a non-character area, and C, using K ink, C.I. The area to be printed without using M and Y inks is a character area. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the deterioration of the image quality of the printed image due to the replacement process of S160.

C. Modification example:
(1) In the above embodiment, ink is supplied based on whether or not the total value Tk of the K component values of the partial image PI is larger than the allowable amount Mk determined based on the temperature Td in the multifunction device 100. It is determined whether or not there is a relatively high possibility that the delay will occur. Instead of this, for example, it may be determined whether or not there is a relatively high possibility that the ink supply will be delayed based on whether or not the temperature Td in the multifunction device 100 is equal to or lower than the reference value. Since appropriate control can be performed according to the temperature Td in the multifunction device 100 (that is, the temperature of the print execution unit 200), delay in ink supply can be suppressed. For example, when the temperature Td in the multifunction device 100 is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference value, and the total value Tk of the K component values of the partial image PI is equal to or higher than the predetermined reference value, the ink is ink. It may be determined that there is a relatively high possibility that the supply of ink will be delayed.

Further, it may be determined whether or not there is a relatively high possibility that the ink supply will be delayed based only on the temperature Td. For example, when the temperature Td in the multifunction device 100 is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference value, the CPU 110 determines that there is a relatively high possibility that the ink supply will be delayed, and sets the pixels to a predetermined ratio. On the other hand, the replacement process of S160 may be executed. Then, the CPU 110 determines that it is relatively unlikely that the ink supply will be delayed when the temperature Td in the multifunction device 100 is larger than the predetermined reference value, and does not execute the replacement process of S160. Is also good.

Further, instead of the temperature Td and the allowable amount Mk, a viscosity sensor that directly measures the viscosity of the ink may be attached to the ink cartridge. Then, the CPU 110 determines that there is a relatively high possibility that the ink supply will be delayed when the viscosity of the detected ink is relatively high, and when the viscosity of the detected ink is relatively low, the ink supply is relatively high. It may be judged that the possibility of delay is relatively low.

(2) In the above embodiment, it is determined for each partial image PI1 whether or not there is a relatively high possibility that the ink supply will be delayed. Instead of this, the determination may be made for the entire target image. For example, it may be determined whether or not there is a relatively high possibility that the ink supply will be delayed based on whether or not the total value of the K components of the entire target image is larger than the allowable amount. In this case, for example, when it is determined that there is a relatively high possibility that the ink supply will be delayed, the first target pixel P1 and the second target pixel P2 may be dispersed and determined over the entire target image. It should be noted that such a configuration can be adopted even when the print execution unit 200 is, for example, a type of print execution unit that does not involve a main scan, that is, a so-called line printer.

(3) In the above embodiment, when there is a relatively high possibility that the supply of black ink (K ink) will be delayed, C, M, and Y inks are used to represent black ink, thereby expressing the black color of the attention portion image. Some areas are printed. Instead of this, for example, in a control device of a print execution unit that further uses four types of inks of gray, light cyan, light magenta, and light yellow in addition to the four types of inks C, M, Y, and K, gray With respect to the ink, when there is a relatively high possibility that the supply will be delayed, a part of the region of interest may be printed by expressing gray with the inks of light cyan, light magenta, and light yellow. Alternatively, in a control device of a printing execution unit that uses a plurality of types of inks including a pigment K ink suitable for printing characters and a dye K ink suitable for printing photographs and the like, the dye K ink is supplied. When there is a relatively high possibility of delay, a part of the region of interest may be printed by expressing black color using the K ink of the pigment. In general, for a specific type of ink among multiple types of ink, when there is a relatively high possibility that the supply will be delayed, the color of the specific type of ink is changed by using a different type of ink from the specific type of ink. By representing it, it suffices if a part of the area of the attention partial image is printed.

(4) In the above embodiment, the total value Tk of the values of the K components is used as an index value indicating the amount of K ink used when printing the partial image of interest. Instead of this, for example, the total number of dots of K ink formed when printing the partial image of interest without performing the replacement process is used as an index value indicating the amount of K ink used. Is also good.

(5) Instead of the temperature Td in the multifunction device 100, for example, the temperature of the ink in the ink cartridge CTG or the temperature of the ink in the ink flow path such as the tube 252 may be used. Generally, the temperature of at least a part of the print execution unit 200 may be used.

(6) Instead of the determination of S140, it may be determined whether to execute the replacement process of S160 or the process of S165 depending on the type of paper to be printed. For example, it is assumed that the K ink of the pigment is replaced with the K ink of the dye and a replacement process for expressing black color is executed. In this case, when the first type paper, which has a relatively high possibility of affecting the image quality due to the difference in the permeation method between the K ink of the pigment and the K ink of the dye, is used, S165. When the second type of paper having a relatively low possibility of affecting the image quality is used, the replacement process of S160 may be executed.

(7) In the second embodiment, the character area and the non-character area are specified for each partial image PI. Instead of this, the character region and the non-character region may be specified in the entire target image by analyzing the entire target image data. Further, the area is not limited to the character area and the non-character area, and for example, an area containing relatively small characters and an area containing relatively large characters may be specified. Then, a plurality of pixels in the region including relatively large characters may be determined as the pixels to be replaced. This is because relatively small characters become difficult to read when the sharpness of the edges decreases, but relatively large characters do not become difficult to read even when the sharpness of the edges decreases.

(8) In the above embodiment, the printing process of FIG. 3 is executed by the CPU 110 of the multifunction device 100. Instead of this, the printing process of FIG. 3 may be executed by the CPU of the personal computer 400. In this case, for example, a printer driver program is installed in the personal computer 400, and the CPU of the personal computer 400 executes the printing process of FIG. 3 by executing the printer driver program. In this case, for example, in S120 of FIG. 3, the CPU 110 of the personal computer 400 may communicate with the multifunction device 100 and acquire the temperature Td in the multifunction device 100 from the multifunction device 100. Further, in S175 and S185 of FIG. 3, if the CPU of the personal computer 400 transmits dot data and a predetermined print command to the multifunction device 100 to cause the multifunction device 100 to execute the main scanning process and the sub-scanning process. good.

(9) In the above embodiment, the target image data is facsimile data which is binary image data, but the target image data is not limited to this. The target image data may be, for example, image data including an intermediate gradation such as gray. Alternatively, the target image data may be general RGB image data. For example, in the case of printing using image data showing a business document including a color object in a part centered on black, a delay in the supply of K ink is likely to occur, so the printing process of FIG. 3 is applied. The effect is great.

(10) In the above embodiment, a part of the configuration realized by the hardware may be replaced with software, and conversely, a part of the configuration realized by the software may be replaced with the hardware. May be good. For example, all or part of the printing process (FIG. 3) executed by the CPU 110 may be realized by a dedicated hardware circuit including a logic circuit.

Although the present invention has been described above based on Examples and Modifications, the above-described embodiments of the invention are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit and claims, and the present invention includes an equivalent thereof.

100 ... multifunction device, 110 ... CPU, 120 ... volatile storage device, 121 ... buffer area, 130 ... non-volatile storage device, 140 ... display unit, 150 ... operation Unit, 160 ... Communication unit, 200 ... Print execution unit, 210 ... Main scanning unit, 213 ... Carriage, 214 ... Sliding shaft, 220 ... Sub-scanning unit, 223 .. Upstream roller, 224 ... downstream roller, 230 ... print head, 240 ... head drive, 250 ... ink supply, 251 ... cartridge mounting, 252 ... tube, 253 ... buffer tank, 260 ... temperature sensor, 270 ... platen, 281 ... paper tray, 283 ... paper ejection tray, 300 ... reading execution unit, 400 ... personal computer, PG ... computer program, CTG ... ink cartridge

Claims (14)

A print head having a nozzle for ejecting black pigment ink and a nozzle for ejecting black dye ink, and an ink supply unit for supplying the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye to the print head. A control device that controls a print execution unit that includes
An acquisition unit that acquires target image data that represents the target image,
A print control unit that controls the print execution unit using the target image data to execute a print process for printing the target image, and a print control unit.
Equipped with
The print control unit
In the first case where the supply of the black ink of the pigment from the ink supply unit to the print head is unlikely to be delayed, the black ink of the pigment is used and the black ink of the dye is not used. Print the target image and
The black ink of the pigment is in the second case where the supply from the ink supply unit to the print head is likely to be delayed, and the method of permeation differs between the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye. A control device that prints the target image using only the black ink of the dye when a paper that affects the image quality is not used. The control device according to claim 1.
The target image includes an image in the first region and an image in the second region.
The print execution unit has a main scanning unit that executes a main scan for moving the print head along the main scanning direction with respect to the print medium, and a sub-scanning direction that intersects the main scanning direction with respect to the print head. A sub-scanning unit that executes a sub-scanning for moving the printing medium along the printing medium is provided, and the printing head is driven during the main scanning to print a partial image on the printing medium.
The control device, wherein the first region and the second region are regions in the partial image printed in one main scan. A print head having a nozzle for ejecting black pigment ink and a nozzle for ejecting black dye ink, and an ink supply unit for supplying the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye to the print head. A control device that controls a print execution unit that includes
An acquisition unit that acquires target image data that represents the target image,
A print control unit that controls the print execution unit using the target image data to execute a print process for printing the target image, and a print control unit.
Equipped with
The target image includes an image in the first region and an image in the second region.
The print control unit
In the first case where the supply of the black ink of the pigment from the ink supply unit to the print head is unlikely to be delayed, the black ink of the pigment is used and the black ink of the dye is not used. Print the target image and
In the second case where the supply of the black ink of the pigment from the ink supply unit to the print head is likely to be delayed, and because the method of permeating the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye is different. When the paper that affects the image quality is not used, the target image is printed using the black ink of the dye.
The black ink of the pigment is in the second case where the supply from the ink supply unit to the print head is likely to be delayed, and the method of permeation is different between the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye. A control device that reduces the number of main scanning lines included in the first region when paper that affects image quality is used. The control device according to claim 3, further
It is provided with an acquisition unit for acquiring the temperature of the print execution unit.
The print control unit
Based on the temperature acquired by the acquisition unit, the allowable amount of the black ink of the pigment is determined.
Using the partial image data representing the first region, the total value of the black values of the pigment in the first region is calculated.
A control device that reduces the number of main scanning lines so that the total value is within the allowable amount. A print head having a nozzle for ejecting black pigment ink and a nozzle for ejecting black dye ink, and an ink supply unit for supplying the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye to the print head. A control device that controls a print execution unit that includes
An acquisition unit that acquires target image data that represents the target image,
A print control unit that controls the print execution unit using the target image data to execute a print process for printing the target image, and a print control unit.
A calculation unit for calculating an index value indicating the amount of black ink used for the pigment when printing at least a part of the target image using the target image data is provided.
The print control unit
When the index value indicating the amount of the black ink used for the pigment is equal to or less than the threshold value, the target image is printed using the black ink for the pigment without using the black ink for the dye.
Paper that affects the image quality is not used because the index value indicating the amount of the black ink used for the pigment is larger than the threshold value and the permeation method differs between the black ink for the pigment and the black ink for the dye. In this case, a control device for printing the target image using the black ink of the dye. The control device according to claim 5.
The threshold includes a first threshold and a second threshold greater than the first threshold.
The print control unit
When the index value is larger than the first threshold value, the target image is printed using the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye.
A control device for printing the target image using the black ink of the dye without using the black ink of the pigment when the index value is larger than the second threshold value. The control device according to claim 5 or 6.
The print execution unit has a main scanning unit that executes a main scan for moving the print head along the main scanning direction with respect to the print medium, and a sub-scanning direction that intersects the main scanning direction with respect to the print head. A sub-scanning unit that executes a sub-scanning for moving the printing medium along the printing medium is provided, and the printing head is driven during the main scanning to print a partial image on the printing medium.
The target image includes a plurality of lines along the main scanning direction.
The print control unit
When the index value indicating the amount of the black ink used for the pigment is larger than the threshold value and the paper is used in which the image quality is affected by the difference in the penetration method between the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye. A control device that reduces the number of lines included in the partial image whose index value is larger than the threshold value so that the index value is equal to or less than the threshold value. The control device according to claim 7.
A control device that does not change the number of lines included in the partial image when the index value is equal to or less than the threshold value. The control device according to claim 7 or 8.
A control device for determining whether or not the index value indicating the amount of a specific type of ink used when printing the partial image is larger than the threshold value for each partial image. The control device according to claim 2, further
The target image is provided with a specific portion for specifying a region containing a first-class object and a region containing a second-class object.
The first area is an area containing the first type object, and is an area containing the object of the first kind.
The second area is a control device which is an area including the object of the second kind. A print head having a nozzle for ejecting black pigment ink and a nozzle for ejecting black dye ink, and an ink supply unit for supplying the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye to the print head. A control device that controls a print execution unit that includes
An acquisition unit that acquires target image data that represents the target image,
A print control unit that controls the print execution unit using the target image data to execute a print process for printing the target image, and a print control unit.
It is provided with an acquisition unit for acquiring the temperature of the print execution unit.
The print control unit
When the temperature acquired by the acquisition unit is below the reference value and the paper that affects the image quality due to the difference in the penetration method between the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye is not used. A control device that prints the target image using only the black ink of the dye. A print head having a nozzle for ejecting black pigment ink and a nozzle for ejecting black dye ink, and an ink supply unit for supplying the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye to the print head. To the computer that controls the print execution unit, which is equipped with
The acquisition function to acquire the target image data representing the target image,
A print control function that controls the print execution unit to execute a print process for printing the target image using the target image data, and a print control function.
Realized,
The print control function is
In the first case where the supply of the black ink of the pigment from the ink supply unit to the print head is unlikely to be delayed, the black ink of the pigment is used and the black ink of the dye is not used. Print the target image and
In the second case where the supply of the black ink of the pigment from the ink supply unit to the print head is likely to be delayed, and because the method of permeating the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye is different. A computer program that prints the target image using only the black ink of the dye when a paper that affects the image quality is not used. A print head having a nozzle for ejecting black pigment ink and a nozzle for ejecting black dye ink, and an ink supply unit for supplying the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye to the print head. To the computer that controls the print execution unit, which is equipped with
The acquisition function to acquire the target image data representing the target image,
A print control function that controls the print execution unit to execute a print process for printing the target image using the target image data, and a print control function.
Realized,
The target image includes an image in the first region and an image in the second region.
The print control function is
In the first case where the supply of the black ink of the pigment from the ink supply unit to the print head is unlikely to be delayed, the black ink of the pigment is used and the black ink of the dye is not used. Print the target image and
In the second case where the supply of the black ink of the pigment from the ink supply unit to the print head is likely to be delayed, and because the method of permeating the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye is different. When the paper that affects the image quality is not used, the target image is printed using the black ink of the dye.
The black ink of the pigment is in the second case where the supply from the ink supply unit to the print head is likely to be delayed, and the method of permeation is different between the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye. A computer program that reduces the number of main scan lines included in the first area when paper that affects image quality is used. A print head having a nozzle for ejecting black pigment ink and a nozzle for ejecting black dye ink, and an ink supply unit for supplying the black ink of the pigment and the black ink of the dye to the print head. To the computer that controls the print execution unit, which is equipped with
The acquisition function to acquire the target image data representing the target image,
A print control function that controls the print execution unit using the target image data to execute a print process for printing the target image, and a print control function.
Using the target image data, a calculation function for calculating an index value indicating the amount of black ink used for the pigment when printing at least a part of the target image, and a calculation function.
Realized,
The print control function is
When the index value indicating the amount of the black ink used for the pigment is equal to or less than the threshold value, the target image is printed using the black ink for the pigment without using the black ink for the dye.
Paper that affects the image quality is not used because the index value indicating the amount of the black ink used for the pigment is larger than the threshold value and the permeation method differs between the black ink for the pigment and the black ink for the dye. In this case, a computer program for printing the target image using the black ink of the dye.

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