Multilayer white printing with white-balance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11020984-B2
Application number	US-201916579707-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2019
Priority date	Jan 8, 2014
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

White-balance is improved when printing on colored media, while minimizing the time and use of costly materials required by present approaches. In an embodiment, the typical solid white fill or background layer is altered by including in the white layer one or more of the other colors already available in the printer to shade this layer. Thus, a small amount of cyan, for example, helps balance a pink-ish (red) media; yellow is used for blue media; and magenta is used for green media; as well as combinations thereof. A combination of transparent process inks and opaque white helps to maintain brightness (luminosity).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for printing an image on a substrate having a particular color other than white, with a printer having an inkset, wherein the inkset includes a plurality of inks having white ink and an ink having a color other than white, the method comprising:
receiving, from a sensor, data representative of the substrate;
determining, based on the data representative of the substrate, a profile which uniquely matches a media type and the particular color of the substrate;
retrieving from the profile, a first offset color value for a first offset color, wherein the first offset color value indicates an amount of the ink other than white;
printing on the substrate of the identified media type in a first pass a first layer of ink, including the white ink mixed with the amount of ink other than white indicated by the first offset color value;
wherein the printed first layer of mixed ink appears as a neutral color, so that the particular color of the substrate is not visible; and
printing the image on top of the printed first layer of ink.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining a profile is based on user preference.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inkset includes a plurality of inks having white ink, cyan ink (C), magenta ink (M), and yellow ink (Y).

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the white ink is opaque, and wherein the C, M and Y inks are transparent process inks.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data representative of the substrate forms an image of the substrate.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the first layer of ink will not result in a true white background;
alerting a user that the first layer of ink will not result in the true white background;
adding, based on user selection, a color to the white ink; and
printing, in the first pass the first layer, wherein the first layer comprises the white ink and the added color.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein printing the first layer results in the substrate not being visible.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the layer of ink will not result in a true white background;
alerting a user that the first layer of ink will not result in a true white background; and
printing, based on user preference, the first layer.

9. An electronic device comprising:
a network interface for communicating with a sensor over a communication channel;
a processor; and
a memory having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
receive, from the sensor, data representative of a substrate, the substrate having a particular color other than white;
determine, based on the data representative of the substrate, a profile which uniquely matches a media type and the particular color of the substrate;
retrieve from the profile, a first offset color value from a first offset color, wherein the first offset color value indicates an amount of the ink other than white; and
transmit directions to print on the substrate of the identified media type in a first pass a first layer of ink, including the white ink mixed with the amount of ink other than white indicated by the first offset color value; wherein the printed first layer of mixed ink appears as a neutral color, so that the particular color of the substrate is not visible.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the sensor is a camera and the data representative of the substrate forms an image of the substrate.

11. The device of claim 9 , wherein the sensor is any of built into the printer, in a separate tool, a part of a cell phone, or any combination thereof.

12. The device of claim 9 , wherein the sensor is an optical measuring device.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
measure a region of color of the white layer printed on the colored substrate with the optical measuring device;
determine, based on the measurement obtained from the optical measuring device, a color value for the region of color;
determine an offset color value of an offset color, wherein the offset color value indicates an amount of the ink having the color other than white with which to mix with white ink to mask the color of the substrate when printing the first layer on the colored substrate; and
store, in the memory, the measured color value in the stored configuration file in association with the media type of the substrate.

14. A method comprising:
receiving, from a camera, an image of a substrate;
determining, based on the image of the substrate, a profile which uniquely matches a media type and particular color of the substrate;
retrieving from the profile, a first offset color value for a first offset color, wherein the first offset color value indicates an amount of the ink other than white;
printing the first offset color on the substrate of the identified media type in a first pass a first layer of ink; and
printing an image on top of the printed first layer of ink.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein determining a profile is based on user preference.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the inkset includes a plurality of inks having white ink, cyan ink (C), magenta ink (M), and yellow ink (Y).

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the printed first layer of ink appears as a neutral color, so that the particular color of the substrate is not visible.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
measuring the density of the printed image.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
adjusting the profile based on the measured density of the printed image.

20. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
determining that the first layer of ink will not result in a true white background;
alerting a user that the first layer of ink will not result in the true white background;
adding, based on user selection, a second offset color to the white ink; and
printing, in the first pass the first layer, wherein the first layer comprises the white ink and the second offset color.

Assignees

• Electronics For Imaging Inc

Inventors

• Heath Peter
• Lahut Joseph A
• Cram Dwight
• Ko Bryan

Classifications

• B41J2/2117 Primary

  Ejecting white liquids · CPC title

• B41J2/211

  Mixing of inks, solvent or air prior to paper contact · CPC title

• B41J2/0458

  controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles · CPC title

• B41J2/2128

  by means of energy modulation (control methods or devices therefor, e.g. driver circuits or control circuits B41J2/04501) · CPC title

• H04N1/54

  Conversion of colour picture signals to a plurality of signals some of which represent particular mixed colours, e.g. for textile printing · CPC title