CONTROL DEVICE FOR PRINTING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

摘要

Raggedness of thin lines or edges is suppressed to improve straightness. For each of the pixels forming image data, each pixel in the image data is assigned to a printing element for outputting a pixel value of the pixel. A control unit controls printing of the image data by driving the plurality of printing elements by time-division driving in which a different driving timing is set to each printing element according to assignment. The control unit drives the printing elements such that the printing elements included in a printing element array are associated with a plurality of different driving timings and further a plurality of printing element arrays have different orders of driving timings for the respective printing elements in an arrangement direction. Distribution information assigns to the pixel a printing element driven at a reference driving timing or a driving timing close to the reference driving timing.

主权项

1. A control device for a printing apparatus provided with a print head in which a plurality of printing element arrays each having a plurality of printing elements arranged therein are placed in parallel in a direction crossing an arrangement direction of the printing elements, wherein the print head and a print medium opposite to the print head are relatively moved in the direction crossing the arrangement direction of the printing elements to print an image on the print medium by the print head, the control device comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire image data; a distribution unit configured to assign each pixel in the image data to a printing element for outputting a pixel value of the pixel according to distribution information indicating that each of the pixels forming the image data is associated with one of the plurality of printing elements; and a control unit configured to control printing of the image data by driving the plurality of printing elements by time-division driving in which a different driving timing is set for each printing element according to assignment by the distribution unit, wherein the control unit drives the plurality of printing elements such that the plurality of printing elements included in the printing element array are corresponding to a plurality of different driving timings respectively and further the plurality of printing element arrays have different orders of driving timings for the respective printing elements in the arrangement direction of the printing elements, and the distribution information is set such that, with respect to a pixel group corresponding to the arrangement direction of the printing elements, of the printing elements that can print a pixel included in the pixel group, a printing element driven at a reference driving timing or a driving timing close to the reference driving timing is assigned to the pixel.