A system and method for providing a highly addressable printing system

• Main Authors: DAVIDSON, MICHAEL L, TSE, FRANCIS K, HAWKINS, BRIAN C
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 10.03.2004
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: CALCULATING; COMPUTING; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS; COUNTING; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS; i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL; LINING MACHINES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION; PRESENTATION OF DATA; PRINTING; RECOGNITION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS; STAMPS; TRANSPORTING; TYPEWRITERS

A system and process prints a high resolution image on a high addressable image output terminal by converting an image at one resolution to an image having a lower resolution in a fast-scan direction and a higher resolution in a pixel depth direction. The converted image is then processed and binarized prior to being printed on a high addressable printer. The system or process utilizes a conversion circuit which includes a two-bit per pixel packing circuit, a scanline buffer circuit, a logic circuit, and a look-up table. The conversion circuit initially converts the image into an image having a lower resolution in the fast-scan direction and a higher pixel depth resolution. Thereafter, the image is further converted to an image having a lower resolution in the slow-scan direction and a higher pixel depth resolution. This conversion of a high resolution image to a lower resolution is carried without any substantial lost to the image content data.