Print quality setup using banks in parallel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10654287-B2
Application number	US-201715787750-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2017
Priority date	Oct 19, 2017
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

The present invention embraces a method and apparatus for an efficient and economical print quality setup for thermal printers. A thermal printhead of a thermal printer constitutes multiple printhead banks. The printhead banks may be controlled by strobe signals. While configuring print quality, each of the strobe signals may operate separately with different power causing the printhead banks to operate in different configurations while printing an identical pattern. As each the banks are operating in different configuration, they each print the identical pattern with a different print quality. One print quality may be selected from the different quality patterns printed by each printhead bank on a single printed label or media. The selected quality pattern corresponds to a quality factor. The method may reduce the time to select a configuration and may reduce the amount of usage of media or labels.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A printer, comprising:
a set of printhead banks, wherein each of printhead banks in the set of printhead banks is operable to independently print an identical pattern with a different print quality on a media;
a processor operable to:
generate a strobe signal for each of the printhead banks in the set of printhead banks based on a quality factor, wherein the quality factor determines the print quality for each of the identical patterns on the media; and

transmit a corresponding strobe signal and data signal to a corresponding printhead bank of the set of printhead banks, wherein each of the set of printhead banks prints a set of identical patterns, each with different print quality, on the media.

2. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the processor receives an indication of a preferred pattern based on the print quality.

3. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the processor independently controls the quality factor associated with each strobe signal.

4. The printer according to claim 2 , wherein a selection of the preferred pattern is aided or automated by a scanner and processor software.

5. The printer according to claim 2 , wherein a placement of the printer in a normal print mode of operation causes the set of printhead banks to print on the media based on the quality factor corresponding to the preferred pattern.

6. The printer according to claim 2 , wherein the processor analyzes the selected preferred pattern and determines whether to tune the quality factor based on the print quality associated with the preferred pattern.

7. The printer according to claim 6 , wherein, if the processor decides to tune the quality factor, the processor generates another set of quality factors based on the preferred pattern as a seed.

8. The printer according to claim 7 , wherein the processor then proceeds to select same or another preferred pattern based on the another set of quality factors.

9. The printer according to claim 2 , wherein the processor modifies the quality factor based on an analysis of the print quality of the preferred pattern.

10. A method, comprising:
generating, by a processor of a printer, a strobe signal for each of printhead banks in a set of printhead banks operable to independently print an identical pattern with a different print quality on a media, wherein the strobe signal is generated based on a quality factor that determines a print quality for each of the identical patterns on the media; and
transmitting, by the processor of the printer, a corresponding strobe signal to a corresponding printhead bank of the set of printhead banks, wherein each of the set of printhead banks print a set of the identical patterns, each with different print quality, on the media.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving, by the processor of the printer, an indication of a preferred pattern based on the print quality.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
modifying, by the processor of the printer, the quality factor based on an analysis of the print quality of the preferred pattern.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
determining, by the processor of the printer, that the printer is operating in a normal printing mode; and
causing, by the processor of the printer, the set of printhead banks to print on the media based on the modified quality factor corresponding to the preferred pattern.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising generating, by the processor of the printer, another set of quality factors based on the preferred pattern as a seed.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising selecting, by the processor of the printer, same or another preferred pattern based on the another set of quality factors.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the selection is aided or automated by a scanner and processor software.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein generating the strobe signal based on the quality factor further comprises, independently controlling, by the processor of the printer, the quality factor associated with the strobe signal.

Assignees

• Datamax Oneil Corp

Inventors

• Hatle Richard

Classifications

• B41J2/355

  Control circuits for heating-element selection · CPC title

• G06K15/024

  for printing on segmented surfaces, e.g. sticker sheets, label rolls · CPC title

• H04N1/40031 Primary

  for a plurality of reproducing elements simultaneously · CPC title

• G06K15/028

  by thermal printers · CPC title

• H04N1/04

  Scanning arrangements {, i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versa}(H04N1/387 takes precedence) · CPC title