A NIP printer is advancing into the graphic arts fields as the short-run on-demand color printing machine. The background of the market trend in graphic arts and the technical situations of electro-photographic printer, which can make a high quality color hardcopy, will be mentioned in this review.

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Only lately, ink jet and electrophotography printing are expanding into color printing, ink jet printer for low cost application and electrophotography printer in plain paper high speed printing are becoming commercially variable. So, thermal transfer printing is begining to compete with other printing. Thermal transfer printing has improved color definision on plain paper by using 600dpi head based on mono crystal silicone substrate. As usual serial thermal transfer printer use simple equipment and can print on plain paper, there were some problems in printing speed, running cost, etc. But performance was improved, last year, Micro Dry Process (MDP) was released. It's a new serial thermal transfer printer using a 600dpi head. The Micro Dry Process has made a number of technological advances and there is a possibility that using printing method, printing quality close to that of ofset printing can be achieved.

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This paper examines the current developments and future trends of ink jet printing technologies. Ink jet printing becomes more popular for use with personal computers, but the image quality of ink jet printing is still low. Long array printing head, fine ink droplet and improvement of ink and paper property are necessary technologies to achieve a high quality ink jet printer. Especially, many new concept for a high density, multiple channell printing head can be seen in patent activities.

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The electronic publishing field in recent years has been researching ways to achieve a color reproduction on the CRT screen that closely matches the print-out results. One solution that is proving effective in achieving this result is Sony's addition of a Beam Current Feedback function and a Digital Uniformity function to the CRT computer display monitor. The Beam Current Feedback function increases the color temperature stability, while the Digital Uniformity Compensation function brings uniform color reproduction across the entire CRT screen. Hereinafter, the development for the need of these functions and a general mechanism explanation on how these functions work will be addressed.

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Two kinds of objective image quality evaluation methods have been developed by a portinent application ofa human vision model which can simulate various kinds of perceptual responses theoretically. One is a sharpness evaluation method, which is developed by using the model's maximum evaluation function value. The other is a performance evaluation method of imaging systems based on the density gradation method such as CRTs, LCDs, thermal printers, and so on, and is realized by using the visual noise characteristics derived from the model's optimum image observing state. Both methods are suited to quantitatively explain observer's process of evaluating image quality in which different evaluation results are obtained depending on the observing conditions, that is, viewing distance and viewpoint, and so on.

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