Variable resolution in printing system and method

Abstract

In one aspect, the invention features a method for operating a printing system with variable laydown, including providing the system with print job information, selecting an ink laydown based on the print job information, generating firing instructions for the printing system based on the ink laydown, and printing an image on a substrate at the ink laydown.

1 . A method for operating a printing system with variable laydown, comprising: 
 providing the system with print job information;    selecting an ink laydown based on the print job information;    generating firing instructions for the printing system based on the ink laydown; and    printing an image on a substrate at the ink laydown.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein selecting the ink laydown comprises selecting a print resolution based on the print job information.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein selecting the ink laydown comprises selecting a drop mass based on the print job information.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a client in communication with the printing system provides the system with print job information.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the client generates the firing instructions.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the printing system generates the firing instructions from the print job information.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the firing instructions are generated by raster-image-processing the print job information.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the firing instructions are generated based on the selected print resolution.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the firing instructions comprises generating multiple sets of firing instructions corresponding to the multiple resolutions.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein generating the firing instructions further comprises selecting one of the multiple sets of firing instructions corresponding to the selected print resolution.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the selected print resolution is between about 100 dots per inch and 2,000 dots per inch.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the selected print resolution is different from a print resolution in a direction orthogonal to the direction of motion.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the print resolution is selected to provide a predetermined print line width on the substrate.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ink laydown is selected based on the composition of the substrate.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ink laydown is selected based on the composition of the substrate and the ink used to print the image.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ink laydown is selected based on a composition of the image.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ink laydown is selected according to a look up table.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the image is printed according to a substrate tracking signal from an encoder having a native resolution.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the print resolution is different than the native resolution.  
     
     
         20 . A method comprising: 
 causing relative motion between a substrate and a printhead;    generating a substrate tracking signal based on a relative position between the substrate and the printhead using an encoder having a native resolution;    selecting an ink laydown based on a composition of the substrate;    generating a pixel trigger signal based on the substrate tracking signal and the ink laydown; and    printing on the substrate with the printhead at the ink laydown.    
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the ink laydown corresponds to a print resolution different to the native resolution.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the pixel trigger signal is generated using a phase lock loop.  
     
     
         23 . A printing system for executing print jobs received from a client, the system comprising: 
 a print station comprising a printhead;    a substrate transport apparatus for causing relative motion between the print station and a substrate; and    a system controller in communication with the print station and the client,    wherein during operation the system controller selects an ink laydown based on a print job received from the client, generates firing instructions based on the ink laydown, and causes the printhead to print an image on the substrate at the ink laydown.    
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the system controller further comprises an encoder having a native resolution configured to generate a substrate tracking signal based on the relative position of the substrate and the print head.  
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the system controller is configured to cause the print head to print on the substrate at a print resolution in the direction of motion different from the native resolution.  
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the system controller further comprises a drive pulse controller configured to supply drive pulses to the print head in accordance with print job information received from the client.  
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the drive pulse controller modulates the drive pulses based on the substrate tracking signal.  
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the drive pulse controller modulates the drive pulses with a pixel trigger signal having a frequency different from a substrate tracking signal frequency.  
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the drive pulse controller comprises a phase lock loop which generates a pixel trigger signal based on the substrate tracking signal.  
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the system controller comprises a RIP processor that generates firing instructions for the drive pulse controller based on the print job information.  
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein the control electronics comprises a memory buffer for storing firing instructions for the drive pulse controller.  
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the memory buffer has sufficient memory for storing firing instructions corresponding to multiple print resolutions.  
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the multiple resolutions are between about 100 dots per inch and 2,000 dots per inch.  
     
     
         34 . A controller configured to cause a print head to print on a substrate comprising a memory buffer having sufficient memory for storing firing instructions corresponding to multiple print resolutions between about 100 dots per inch and 1000 dots per inch.