Printing apparatus and method for adjusting printing position thereof

摘要

The invention provides a printing apparatus which can adjust printing position more accurately. The apparatus has a printing unit, a pattern printing unit to print a first pattern and a second pattern so as to form a third pattern, and an adjustment unit to perform an adjustment regarding position of dots to be printed by the printing unit based on an optical reflectivity of the third pattern. The second pattern is substantially the same as the first pattern and is shifted relative to the first pattern in a predetermined direction. The first and second patterns each include a plurality of patterns having different cyclic natures in the predetermined direction.

主权项

1. A printing apparatus comprising:
a printing unit configured to print an image by printing dots on a printing medium; a pattern printing unit configured to cause the printing unit to print a plurality of first patterns and a plurality of second patterns so as to form a plurality of third patterns on the printing medium, wherein each of the plurality of third patterns includes one of the second patterns being shifted relative to one of the first patterns in a predetermined direction, and each of the plurality of third patterns has optical reflection characteristics varying depending on the amount of shift between the first patterns and the second patterns; and an adjustment unit configured to perform an adjustment regarding positions of dots to be printed by the printing unit, according to an adjustment amount based on one of the third patterns printed on the printing medium, wherein the first and second patterns each include a plurality of different subpatterns in each of which a dot region for printing a predetermined number of dots and a blank region corresponding to the predetermined number of dots are periodically repeated in the predetermined direction in a repetition cycle, each of the plurality of subpatterns extending in the predetermined direction with the different subpatterns being arranged in a direction intersecting with the predetermined direction and having different repetition cycles in the predetermined direction.