Error-Diffusion Robust to Mis-Registration in Multi-Pass Printing

Error-diffusion and its variants are commonly used halftoning techniques that produce dispersed dot (FM) halftones, which are often preferred because they are free from low-frequency structure. Since the isolated dots resulting from error diffusion are reproduced well on inkjet printers, error diffusion is commonly employed in these devices. Inkjet printers often print a page in two passes in order to allow for better drying of inks and to minimize appearance of a head signature. Any potential misregistration between the passes is typically not comprehended in the error-diffusion halftoning process. The mis-registration between the passes can therefore cause significantly increased graininess (low-frequency structure) in printed error diffusion images even though the electronic bitmaps generated by error diffusion are free from low-frequency structure. In this paper, we propose modifications to the error-diffusion halftoning process that take the two pass printing into account and pro...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: PICS
• Authors: Zhigang Fan, Gaurav Sharma, Shen-ge Wang
• Keywords: Error Diffusion, Error-diffusion Halftoning Process, Image Processing, Low-frequency Structure, PICS 2003