This invention concerns a printer driver for a high performance color printer, such as a printer using a page-width drop-on-demand inkjet printhead. In another aspect it concerns a method of printing. The printer driver manages a two layer page buffer into which image objects are composited during page construction. The first layer contains contone data while the second layer contains bi-level data. The bi-level data is will be composited over the contone data by the printer. The printer driver operates such that where there is contone data composited with the contone layer that obscures bi-level data, the obscured bi-level data is removed from the bi-level layer and either discarded, or in the case where there is some interaction between the image represented by the obscuring contone data and the image represented by the obscured bi-level data, then the bi-level data is composited with the contone data before the obscuring contone data is composited with the contone layer.
An ink drop printer driven by a print engine controller comprising: an interface at which to receive compressed page data; a contone image decoder to decode any continuous tone image planes in the received compressed page data; a bi-level decoder to decode any bi-level image planes in the received compressed page data; a half-toner/compositor to dither any continuous tone image planes and composite bi-level image plane data with any dithered image plane; a print head driver to output the composite to a print head; and a print head, wherein the contone image decoder outputs separate color planes of the decoded continuous tone image planes to separate buffers in a front end to the halftoner/compositor.
A method for processing image data includes the step of dithering a contone layer of the image data. A black bi-level layer of the image data is composited over the contone layer. An infrared tag is rendered to an infrared layer of the image data.
When it is detected that a USB cable has been connected, a status of a function is discriminated. If there is no problem even if a USB enumeration is started, a USB signal is pulled up and the enumeration is started. If it is determined that trouble occurs as a function when the enumeration is started, the pull-up of the USB signal is extended and, after the trouble is solved, the USB signal is pulled up and the enumeration is started.
An inkjet printer includes a microelectromechanical printhead under the control of a printer processor. A plurality of feedback lines emanate from each of a number of segments of the printhead. Signals from the feedback lines are selectively conveyed to the processor by a tri-state bus. One of the feedback signals that is monitored by the processor is indicative of printhead temperature which is a parameter that affects ink viscosity and hence print quality. In response to variations in printhead temperature the processor is programmed to adjust the ink drop firing pulses that are delivered to the printhead in a compensatory manner.
A method of printing data defining an arrangement of a first set of image elements within an array of first and second sets of image elements. The first set may have a different color characteristic than the second set. At least one mode may be selected for placement of colorant-based representations of the image elements of the first set onto a print medium based on one or more values corresponding to the percentage of image elements of the first set in at least one of the array and one or more portions of the array. Colorant-based representations may be placed onto the print medium according to the at least one mode selected and in the arrangement defined by the data.
