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WO2001029517A1 - Method and system for printing using semi-transparent inks - Google Patents

Method and system for printing using semi-transparent inks Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2001029517A1
WO2001029517A1 PCT/US2000/028582 US0028582W WO0129517A1 WO 2001029517 A1 WO2001029517 A1 WO 2001029517A1 US 0028582 W US0028582 W US 0028582W WO 0129517 A1 WO0129517 A1 WO 0129517A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
ink
semi
printing
transparent
color
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2000/028582
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Harry Bowers
Original Assignee
Cv Us, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Cv Us, Inc. filed Critical Cv Us, Inc.
Priority to AU80252/00A priority Critical patent/AU8025200A/en
Publication of WO2001029517A1 publication Critical patent/WO2001029517A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/21—Ink jet for multi-colour printing
    • B41J2/2107—Ink jet for multi-colour printing characterised by the ink properties
    • B41J2/2114—Ejecting specialized liquids, e.g. transparent or processing liquids
    • B41J2/2117—Ejecting white liquids
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/21—Ink jet for multi-colour printing
    • B41J2/2107—Ink jet for multi-colour printing characterised by the ink properties
    • B41J2/2114—Ejecting specialized liquids, e.g. transparent or processing liquids

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the color printing arts. It finds particular application to a method and system for increasing the number of printing colors by using semitransparent inks combined with other inks. It will be appreciated that the present invention will find application to any type of printing system that prints more than one color.
  • CMYK cyan, magenta, yellow and black
  • the present invention provides a new and unique method and system of printing colors that cures the above problems and others. Summary Of The Invention
  • a new and unique method of printing with a printing device where a first ink having a first color is deposited.
  • a semi-transparent ink is then deposited over the first ink to produce a resultant color where the first ink is visible through the semi- transparent ink but is a different color that the first color.
  • a printing device in accordance with another aspect of the present invention, includes a supply of colored ink and a supply of semi- transparent ink.
  • a printing mechanism deposits portions of the colored ink on a medium and deposits portions of the semi-transparent ink as a top layer over the portions of the colored ink.
  • One advantage of the present invention is that the number of distinct colors that can be printed by a printing device are increased.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram of a printing system and process in accordance with the present invention. Detailed Description Of The Preferred Embodiments
  • a printing system 10 includes a printing mechanism such as an ink jet head, thermal, piezo-electric, laser or other mechanism as is known in the art.
  • the printing system includes a supply of color inks 15 such as cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK).
  • a halftoning method as is known in the art, combines these inks in dot patterns to produce a gamut of output colors 20.
  • CMYK inks The number of distinct colors obtained with CMYK inks is seven (7) as shown in the left-most column in the table below, namely, black, cyan, magenta, yellow, red, green, and blue. Other colors are created by halftoning these colors.
  • one or more semi- transparent inks 25 are added to the printing device 10. For example, semi- transparent (S.T.) white ink and semi-transparent gray ink are added.
  • S.T. semi- transparent
  • semi-transparent gray ink are added.
  • twenty four (24) distinctive colors can be obtained as shown below:
  • the printing system 10 deposits one of the color inks 15, for example black. Then, a semi-transparent ink 25, such as a semi-transparent white ink, is combined at 30 with the black by depositing it over the black ink as a top layer.
  • the resultant output color 35 is a light gray.
  • the black ink is visible through the semi-transparent white ink but its color property is now changed to appear as light gray.
  • the light gray is obtained without having to halftone black and white dots.
  • semi-transparent gray ink is printed over cyan ink, the combination produces a dark cyan color.
  • the cyan is visible through the semi-transparent gray but its color property is changed to be darker. The effect is similar to looking at the cyan through a tinted lens.
  • the inks are not mixed together but are separate layers of ink.
  • the semi-transparent inks 25 can also be printed alone to produce corresponding output colors 40.
  • the number of distinct colors that a printer can print are increased by covering a colored ink with a top layer of semi- transparent ink.
  • the top layer of semi-transparent ink allows the bottom layer of ink to be visible but with a modified appearance.
  • the top layer of semi- transparent ink also acts as a protective layer to extend the life of the bottom layer ink. The protective layer slows down the fading process.

Landscapes

  • Color Image Communication Systems (AREA)
  • Facsimile Image Signal Circuits (AREA)
  • Ink Jet (AREA)

Abstract

A method and system that increases the number of ink colors for a printing system (10) is provided. The printing system includes a supply of colored ink (15) and a supply of semi-transparent inks (25). By depositing a colored ink and then depositing a semi-transparent ink over it as a separate layer, the visual color of the colored ink is modified due to the semi-transparent ink. This creates a new distinctive color.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PRINTING USING SEMI-TRANSPARENT INKS
Cross-Reference To Related Applications This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.
60/159,606 filed October 15, 1999.
Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to the color printing arts. It finds particular application to a method and system for increasing the number of printing colors by using semitransparent inks combined with other inks. It will be appreciated that the present invention will find application to any type of printing system that prints more than one color.
Background Of The Invention
Most printing systems use traditional inks of cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) inks and a half-toning method gives the impression that a printed image is a continuous tone. If a printing system can print more than four (4) inks, the visual result is greatly improved. However, the half-toning method becomes more complex and more difficult to implement. An error diffusion half-toning method is often chosen when there are more than four printing inks available.
In prior art printing systems, to increase the number of distinct ink colors, more inks had to be added. With each new distinct ink, the printing mechanism requires to make one extra pass over the printing area. It would be more advantageous to increase the number of distinct printable colors by a greater amount than by the increased number of available inks. Thus, more distinct colors could be printed with less passes by the printing mechanism.
The present invention provides a new and unique method and system of printing colors that cures the above problems and others. Summary Of The Invention
In accordance with the present invention, a new and unique method of printing with a printing device is provided where a first ink having a first color is deposited. A semi-transparent ink is then deposited over the first ink to produce a resultant color where the first ink is visible through the semi- transparent ink but is a different color that the first color.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a printing device includes a supply of colored ink and a supply of semi- transparent ink. A printing mechanism deposits portions of the colored ink on a medium and deposits portions of the semi-transparent ink as a top layer over the portions of the colored ink.
One advantage of the present invention is that the number of distinct colors that can be printed by a printing device are increased.
Still further advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
Brief Description Of The Drawings
The following is a brief description of each drawing used to describe the present invention, and thus, are being presented for illustrative purposes only and should not be limitative of the scope of the present invention, wherein:
Figure 1 is a diagram of a printing system and process in accordance with the present invention. Detailed Description Of The Preferred Embodiments
With reference to Figure 1, a printing system 10 includes a printing mechanism such as an ink jet head, thermal, piezo-electric, laser or other mechanism as is known in the art. The printing system includes a supply of color inks 15 such as cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK). A halftoning method, as is known in the art, combines these inks in dot patterns to produce a gamut of output colors 20.
The number of distinct colors obtained with CMYK inks is seven (7) as shown in the left-most column in the table below, namely, black, cyan, magenta, yellow, red, green, and blue. Other colors are created by halftoning these colors. To increase the number of distinct colors, one or more semi- transparent inks 25 are added to the printing device 10. For example, semi- transparent (S.T.) white ink and semi-transparent gray ink are added. Now with these six (6) ink colors, twenty four (24) distinctive colors can be obtained as shown below:
S.T. White S.T. Gray
Ink Colors Printed Over Printed Over
K (Black) Light gray Dark gray
C (Cyan) Light cyan Dark cyan
M (Magenta) Light magenta Dark magenta
Y (Yellow) Light yellow Dark yellow
MY (Red) Light red Dark red
CY (Green) Light green Dark green
MC (Blue) Light blue Dark blue
White (semi-transparent) n/a n/a
Gray (semi-transparent) Very light gray n/a
To obtain the additional distinctive colors, the printing system 10 deposits one of the color inks 15, for example black. Then, a semi-transparent ink 25, such as a semi-transparent white ink, is combined at 30 with the black by depositing it over the black ink as a top layer. The resultant output color 35 is a light gray. The black ink is visible through the semi-transparent white ink but its color property is now changed to appear as light gray. The light gray is obtained without having to halftone black and white dots.
If semi-transparent gray ink is printed over cyan ink, the combination produces a dark cyan color. The cyan is visible through the semi-transparent gray but its color property is changed to be darker. The effect is similar to looking at the cyan through a tinted lens. The inks are not mixed together but are separate layers of ink. The semi-transparent inks 25 can also be printed alone to produce corresponding output colors 40.
With the present invention, the number of distinct colors that a printer can print are increased by covering a colored ink with a top layer of semi- transparent ink. The top layer of semi-transparent ink allows the bottom layer of ink to be visible but with a modified appearance. The top layer of semi- transparent ink also acts as a protective layer to extend the life of the bottom layer ink. The protective layer slows down the fading process.
The invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this specification. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalence thereof.

Claims

I claim:
1. A method of printing with a printing device, the method comprising the steps of: depositing a first ink having a first color; and depositing a semi-transparent ink over the first ink to produce a resultant color where the first ink is visible through the semi-transparent ink and the resultant color being different that the first color.
2. The method of printing as set forth in claim 1 wherein the semi- transparent ink is white and the resultant color is a lighter shade of the first color.
3. The method of printing as set forth in claim 1 wherein the semi- transparent ink is gray and the resultant color is a darker shade of the first color.
4. The method of printing as set forth in claim 1 wherein the resultant color is obtained without halftoning the first ink and the semi- transparent ink together.
5. The method of printing as set forth in claim 1 wherein the semi- transparent ink is deposited as a top layer and as a separate layer over the first ink.
6. A printing device comprising: a supply of colored ink; a supply of semi-transparent ink; and a printing mechanism for depositing portions of the colored ink on a medium and depositing portions of the semi-transparent ink as a top layer over the portions of the colored ink.
7. The printing device as set forth in claim 6 wherein the colored ink has a color property that is visible through the semi-transparent ink.
8. The printing device as set forth in claim 7 wherein the semi- transparent ink has a white color property that changes the color property of the colored ink to be lighter when the semi-transparent ink is deposited over the colored ink.
9. The printing device as set forth in claim 7 wherein the semi- transparent ink has a gray color property that changes the color property of the colored ink to be darker when the semi-transparent ink is deposited over the colored ink.
10. The printing device as set forth in claim 6 wherein the printing mechanism deposits the semi-transparent ink over the colored ink without halftoning the semi-transparent ink with the colored ink.
PCT/US2000/028582 1999-10-15 2000-10-16 Method and system for printing using semi-transparent inks WO2001029517A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU80252/00A AU8025200A (en) 1999-10-15 2000-10-16 Method and system for printing using semi-transparent inks

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US15960699P 1999-10-15 1999-10-15
US60/159,606 1999-10-15

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2001029517A1 true WO2001029517A1 (en) 2001-04-26

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Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2000/028582 WO2001029517A1 (en) 1999-10-15 2000-10-16 Method and system for printing using semi-transparent inks
PCT/US2000/028583 WO2001030065A1 (en) 1999-10-15 2000-10-16 Halftoning method and system for improved color printing

Family Applications After (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2000/028583 WO2001030065A1 (en) 1999-10-15 2000-10-16 Halftoning method and system for improved color printing

Country Status (2)

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AU (2) AU8025300A (en)
WO (2) WO2001029517A1 (en)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2014070899A1 (en) 2012-11-02 2014-05-08 Electronics For Imaging, Inc. A method and apparatus for controlling lightness in colored inkjet inks by means of a transparent white ink composition
US11241874B2 (en) * 2019-08-09 2022-02-08 Squee-Geez Inc. Screen printing method
US12122142B2 (en) 2019-08-09 2024-10-22 Squee-Geez Inc. Screen printing method

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN110837351B (en) * 2019-11-27 2023-09-08 深圳市汉森软件有限公司 Pure color processing method, device, equipment and storage medium based on ICC (inter-color computer) processing

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JPS59115853A (en) * 1982-12-23 1984-07-04 Sharp Corp Ink jet recording apparatus
JPS59218862A (en) * 1983-05-27 1984-12-10 Ricoh Co Ltd Color ink jet recording apparatus
US4503095A (en) * 1982-02-13 1985-03-05 Fuji Kagakushi Kogyo Co., Ltd. Heat-sensitive color transfer recording media
US4704615A (en) * 1985-07-15 1987-11-03 Victor Company Of Japan, Ltd. Thermal transfer printing apparatus
US4738555A (en) * 1984-08-20 1988-04-19 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Method, apparatus and thermal print ribbon to provide a protective layer over thermally-printed areas on a record medium

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US5051844A (en) * 1989-01-30 1991-09-24 Eastman Kodak Company Digital halftoning with error diffusion
US5621546A (en) * 1993-11-02 1997-04-15 Xerox Corporation Method and apparatus for vector error diffusion with output color control
US6141121A (en) * 1995-03-02 2000-10-31 Apple Computer, Inc. Method and apparatus for color halftoning
CA2169902A1 (en) * 1995-03-16 1996-09-17 Allan Chiwan Cheung Combined color halftoning
US6014233A (en) * 1998-06-09 2000-01-11 Xerox Corporation Error diffusion for color images with semi-vector quantization

Patent Citations (7)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4503095A (en) * 1982-02-13 1985-03-05 Fuji Kagakushi Kogyo Co., Ltd. Heat-sensitive color transfer recording media
US4503095B1 (en) * 1982-02-13 1989-11-21
JPS59115853A (en) * 1982-12-23 1984-07-04 Sharp Corp Ink jet recording apparatus
US4630076A (en) * 1982-12-23 1986-12-16 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Ink-on-demand color ink jet system printer
JPS59218862A (en) * 1983-05-27 1984-12-10 Ricoh Co Ltd Color ink jet recording apparatus
US4738555A (en) * 1984-08-20 1988-04-19 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Method, apparatus and thermal print ribbon to provide a protective layer over thermally-printed areas on a record medium
US4704615A (en) * 1985-07-15 1987-11-03 Victor Company Of Japan, Ltd. Thermal transfer printing apparatus

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2014070899A1 (en) 2012-11-02 2014-05-08 Electronics For Imaging, Inc. A method and apparatus for controlling lightness in colored inkjet inks by means of a transparent white ink composition
US9228104B2 (en) 2012-11-02 2016-01-05 Electronics For Imaging, Inc. Method and apparatus for controlling lightness in colored inkjet inks by means of a transparent white ink composition
US10570303B2 (en) 2012-11-02 2020-02-25 Electronics For Imaging, Inc. Method and apparatus for controlling lightness in colored inkjet inks by means of a transparent white ink composition
US11241874B2 (en) * 2019-08-09 2022-02-08 Squee-Geez Inc. Screen printing method
US12122142B2 (en) 2019-08-09 2024-10-22 Squee-Geez Inc. Screen printing method

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2001030065A1 (en) 2001-04-26
AU8025200A (en) 2001-04-30
AU8025300A (en) 2001-04-30

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