Xerox Corporation : Patent Issued for Print Smoothness on Clear Toner Enabled Systems

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Journal of Engineering -- Xerox Corporation (Norwalk, CT) has been issued patent number 8619329, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia, by VerticalNews editors.

The patent's inventor is Lin, Guo-Yau (Fairport, NY).
This patent was filed on November 12, 2010 and was published online on December 31, 2013.
From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: "When printing large constant color or slowly transitioning area, smoothness is one of the main concerns. Smoothness is usually driven by the xerographic characteristics, halftone dot design, and can also be dependent on media substrate type. Toner scatter, unstable halftone dots, substrate materials (e.g. loose paper fiber), and the like, can prevent regions of color transition in an output print from appearing smooth. Applying clear toner is known to improve the smoothness. However, applying it to the entire print can be an expensive proposition. This is especially true for print shops specializing in color document reproduction. As such, methods are needed which can automatically determine, based upon characteristics of the document itself, where clear toner is best applied such that regions of color transition appear smooth.
"Accordingly, what is needed in this art are systems and methods for determining an amount of clear toner to be added to a document image to improve smoothness of an output print in document reproduction devices capable of delivering an amount of clear toner to an image in the image path."

Supplementing the background information on this patent, VerticalNews reporters also obtained the inventor's summary information for this patent: "What is disclosed is a novel system and method for determining an amount of clear toner to be applied to a document image to improve smoothness in an output print rendered using a xerographic device capable of applying clear toner to the image in the image path. Using clear toner to improve smoothness advantageously enables a Gray Component Replacement (GCR) strategy in which more black can be used which can decrease the incremental cost for clear toner for print shops specializing in color document reproduction.

"In one example embodiment, the present method for determining where to apply clear toner to an image of a document to improve smoothness in an output print involves performing the following. First, an image of a document is received. The received document image is intended to be rendered on a document reproduction device capable of applying clear toner in the image path. The received document image is then analyzed to detect objects contained within the document. The objects can be, for example, constant color objects, smooth shading objects, and image objects. Document objects can be selected via a user interface of a computer workstation. Once the objects have been identified, an amount of halftone dot area coverage is determined for one or more regions of each object wherein color transitions occur. The determined amount of halftone dot area coverage for a given region is then compared to a predetermined threshold. If the amount of area coverage is below the predetermined threshold, the document reproduction device is signaled to apply clear toner to this region. Excessive clear toner can be removed via an ink-limiting operation. In other embodiments, a rate of color transition in the object region is determined and then compared to a predetermined transition threshold in a spatial domain. If the rate of color transition is below the transition threshold then the device is signaled to apply clear toner to the region.
"Many features and advantages of the above-described method will become readily apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings."

Keywords for this news article include: Xerox Corporation.
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HP unveils new managed print services

Hewlett-Packard is planning to expand its managed print services solutions to partners with new offerings slated for later in 2012.ByManda BandaPublished February 16, 2012

The vendor has also updated its workstation line with the introduction of the HP Z1 Workstation, an all-in-one model that fits in a 27-inch LCD panel but allows easy replacement and upgrading of the internal components.

The new offerings were presented to partners in back-to-back keynote sessions at the HP Global Partner Conference, currently underway in Las Vegas.

Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of HP's Imaging and Printing Group, told partners that the amount of digital data being created, both in corporate offices and in the cloud, is growing very quickly, and that 50% of an average worker's time is spent on managing data.

About 6% of the average enterprise's budget is spent on imaging and printing, and of that amount, about 10% goes to hardware and supplies, 15% to services and 75% to solutions, Joshi said.

Consequently, HP is introducing new technology to help push solution providers up the stack of value-added business, he said.

"If you are only in hardware, we want you to move to supplies," he said. "If you are only in hardware and supplies, we want you to move to services. If you are in hardware, supplies and services, we want you to move to solutions."

HP already has some managed print solutions that solution providers can use to improve their business, Joshi said. For instance, he cited ePrint, a relatively new mobile print solution from HP that allows anyone with an Internet-enabled device to send print jobs from their iOS or Android devices to a cloud-enabled print centre for later pickup or delivery.

"We want to make sure whatever device you have, you can have access to printing," he said.

Joshi also introduced the HP Smart Marketing Suite, a new solution that optimises and automates enterprise marketing content workflows. HP Smart Marketing Suite, which is expected to be available to partners sometime in 2013, includes consulting services to assess client marketing process inefficiencies and implement new modular marketing software applications based on HP's cloud-based storage and computing platform. Joshi also unveiled the HP Smart Production Suite, a new managed offering that automatically looks at print job requirements and available managed printing services to configure the content and make it ready to be printed in the most optimised way. HP Smart Production Suite is slated to be released later this year.

Todd Bradley, executive vice president of HP's Personal Systems Group (PSG), also addressed partners.

Bradley opened his presentation by thanking partners who stood by HP during the uncertainty that surrounded that company's decision last August to explore spinning off its PSG before committing to keep it as part of HP.

"It's fair to say you've stuck with us, and grown with us, in what has been an extremely challenging year," Bradley said.

Despite the challenges, HP still remains the world's largest PC maker, and is focused heavily on both new technology and advanced industrial design in its mobile PCs, Bradley said. "Just wait 'till you see what we do with Windows 7 and with ARM," he said.

Bradley shared the stage for a good part of his keynote to Jim Zafarana, vice president and general manager of HP's Commercial Solutions Business Unit, who used the time to introduce the HP Z1 Workstation.

HP Sees Resurgence In PC And Printer Sales

Thursday, 18 February 2010
By Peter Lavelle


Electronics brand HP has encountered a resurgence in PC and printer sales, generating a 25% leap in net profit for 2010’s 1st fiscal quarter, which closed in January.

PC sales for Hewlett Packard rose 20% to $10.6bn, while printer shipments increased 16% - compared to the same period in 2009. The figures suggest the technology market is recovering, having fallen flat during the global recession.

Hewlett Packard reported net profits of $2.3bn for the first quarter – more than $0.4bn more than last year. Net revenue was up 8% from last year and totalled $31.2bn.

Given this, the company has raised its fiscal forecast for 2010, from $118bn revenue to $121.5bn.

Speaking in the press release, HP CEO Mark Hurd said: "The strength of our portfolio, leaner cost structure and accelerating market momentum give us the confidence to raise our full-year outlook.”

However, revenues were not up across all Hewlett Packard’s portfolio. The Services sector – largely responsible for bolstering HP’s finances in the recession – saw a 1% fall in revenue. Revenues at HP Software were stable at $878m.

Sources

Austine Modine, ‘HP’s PC and Printer Sales Back from the Depths,’ TheRegister.co.uk, 17 February 2010.

Antone Gonsalves, ‘HP Profits Jump 25%,’ InformationWeek.com, 18