Method for printing an image using liquid ink

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020094549-A1
Application number	US-201916578470-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 23, 2019
Priority date	Sep 26, 2018
Publication date	Mar 26, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for printing an image with improved printing quality using liquid ink includes using a pump to pump ink to a print head for printing rows of the image onto a moving printing substrate. A respective value correlated with the amount of ink required to print the rows is calculated for a plurality of individual rows or a plurality of grouped rows of the image. The pump receives a preemptive control signal based on the calculated values.

First claim

1 . A method for printing an image using liquid ink, the method comprising the following steps:
using a pump to pump the ink to a print head; using the print head to print rows of the image onto a moving printing substrate; calculating respective values correlated with an amount of ink required for the rows for a plurality of individual rows or for a plurality of grouped rows of the image; and preemptively controlling the pump with a preemptive control signal based on the calculated values.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises using a matrix corresponding to the image for the calculation, including rows of entries of drop sizes in the matrix, and calculating row totals.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , which further comprises weighting the drop sizes with associated predefined ink drop volumes.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises calculating a delay between an instant of transmitting the preemptive control signal to the pump and an instant of transmitting a control signal to the print head.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , which further comprises calculating the delay as a function of a constant or variable printing substrate transport speed.

6 . The method according to claim 4 , which further comprises optimizing the delay by printing and analyzing a test element.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises using the pump to create a liquid pressure in the ink.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises grouping two, three, four or five rows together.

Assignees

• Heidelberger Druckmasch Ag

Inventors

• Fischer Joerg-Achim
• Norrick Nicklas Raymond

Classifications

• B41J2/04586

  controlling heads of a type not covered by groups B41J2/04575 - B41J2/04585, or of an undefined type · CPC title

• B41J2/18

  Ink recirculation systems · CPC title

• B41J2/04535

  involving calculation of drop size, weight or volume · CPC title

• G05D7/0623

  characterised by the set value given to the control element · CPC title

• B05C11/1034

  specially designed for conducting intermittent application of small quantities, e.g. drops, of coating material (B05C5/0225, B05C11/1026 take precedence) · CPC title