Hyperacuity printer architecture

Claim 2

A hyperacuity printing system for rendering bitmapped image data on a photosensitive recording medium, the bitmapped image data being rendered as an array of pixels across the photosensitive recording medium in both a fastscan direction and an orthogonal slowscan direction, the hyperacuity printing system comprising: an output scanning device having a writing device for writing scan spots on the photosensitive recording medium; transformation circuitry for transforming grayscale input image data into grayscale output image data, the transformation circuitry including a halftoner for rendering toneart, a thresholder for rendering lineart and text, a resampling interpolator connected to the thresholder to provide information about local rate of change of intensity of scan spots on the photosensitive recording medium in both fastscan and slowscan directions, and a segmenter for switching between the thresholder and the halftoner to provide grayscale output image data; and, a modulating device receiving grayscale output image data from the transformation circuitry to drive the output scanning device by intensity modulating scan spots in accordance with the grayscale output image data.

Claim 3

A hyperacuity printing system according to claim 1 wherein said transformation circuitry further includes a memory device for storing at least two consecutive lines of said grayscale input data.

Claim 4

A hyperacuity printing system according to claim 2 wherein said transformation circuitry further includes a two dimensional interpolator coupled between said memory device and said thresholder and said halftoner, said two dimensional interpolator supplying interpolated grayscale input image data values to said thresholder and said halftoner.

Claim 5

A hyperacuity printing system according to claim 3 wherein said two dimensional interpolator also supplies slope information for said interpolated grayscale input image values.

Claim 6

A hyperacuity printing system according to claim 4 further including a linearity and registration controller for providing conformal registration values to said two dimensional interpolator.

Claim 7

A hyperacuity printing system according to claim 5 wherein said linearity and registration controller provides conformal registration values to said halftoner.

Claim 8

A hyperacuity printing system according to claim 3 further including a linearity and registration controller for providing conformal registration values to said two dimensional interpolator.

Claim 9

A hyperacuity printing system according to claim 7 wherein said linearity and registration controller provides conformal registration values to said halftoner.

Claim 10

A hyperacuity printing system according to claim 1 further including a linearity and registration controller for providing conformal registration values to said halftoner.

Claim 11

A hyperacuity printing system for rendering bitmapped image data on a photosensitive recording medium, the bitmapped image data being rendered as an array of pixels across the photosensitive recording medium in both a fastscan direction and an orthogonal slowscan direction, the hyperacuity printing system comprising: an output scanning device having a writing device for writing scan spots on the recording medium with edge placement precision in the slowscan direction; and transformation circuitry for transforming grayscale input image data into grayscale output image data, the transformation circuitry including a halftoner for rendering toneart, a thresholder for rendering lineart and text, a resampling interpolator connected to the thresholder to provide information about local rate of change of intensity of scan spots on the photosensitive recording medium in both fastscan and slowscan directions, and a segmenter for switching between the thresholder and the halftoner to provide said grayscale output image data, grayscale output image data being composed of sequences of high and low data values, where a transition between a high data value and a low data value defines a placement of a scan spot boundary by the output scanning device with a precision finer than said scan pitch in said slowscan direction.

Claim 12

A hyperacuity printing system for rendering bitmapped image data on a photosensitive recording medium, the bitmapped image data being rendered as an array of pixels across the photosensitive recording medium in both a fastscan direction and an orthogonal slowscan direction, the hyperacuity printing system comprising: an output scanning device having a writing device for writing scan spots on the recording medium with edge placement precision in the slowscan direction; and transformation circuitry for transforming grayscale input image data into grayscale output image data, the transformation circuitry including a halftoner for rendering toneart, a thresholder for rendering lineart and text, a resampling interpolator connected to the thresholder to provide information about local rate of change of intensity of scan spots on the photosensitive recording medium in both fastscan and slowscan directions, and a segmenter for switching between the thresholder and the halftoner to provide said grayscale output image data, grayscale output image data being composed of sequences of high and low data values, where a transition between a high data value and a low data value defines a placement of a scan spot boundary by the output scanning device with a precision finer than said scan pitch in said slowscan direction.