Image recording apparatus and image recording method

1. An image recording apparatus for separately recording respective unit images which are to be superposed to form an objective image, said image recording apparatus comprising:

a) a recording head comprising n recording sources which are independently controllable; and

b) a controller for operating a partial-source recording mode,

wherein said partial-source recording mode records a first unit image by using a first sub-set of a plurality of recording sources less than n among said n recording sources of said recording head, and

said partial-source recording mode records a second unit image by using a second sub-set of a plurality of recording sources less than n among said n recording sources of said recording head, said second sub-set being different from said first sub-set and comprising at least one recording source included in said first sub-set.

2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said first and second sub-sets of recording sources comprise same numbers of adjacent recording sources.

3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

said controller enables said recording head such that

1) a unit image is recorded on a recording medium, and

2) information indicating said first and second sub-sets of recording sources is recorded on a marginal region of said recording medium.

4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein

said controller is operable in a selected one of

i) said partial-source recording mode, and

ii) a full-source recording mode in which all of said n recording sources are used to record respective ones of said respective unit images.

5. An image recording apparatus for separately recording respective unit images which are to be superposed to form an objective image, said image recording apparatus comprising:

a) a recording head comprising a plurality of recording sources which are independently controllable; and

b) a controller for controlling said plurality of recording sources in a partial-source recording mode in which different sub-sets of recording sources, which are at least partially different from each other, are employed to record at least two unit images of said objective image, respectively,

wherein all of said sub-sets of recording sources comprise same numbers of adjacent recording sources,

said controller enables said recording head such that

1) a unit image is recorded on a recording medium by a selected sub-set of recording sources, and

2) information indicating said selected sub-set of recording sources is recorded on a marginal region of said recording medium,

said controller is operable in a selected one of

i) said partial-source recording mode, and

ii) a full-source recording mode in which all of said plurality of recording source are used to record respective ones of said respective unit images, and

said controller comprises

a receiving element receiving appendix data indicating respective attributes of said at least two unit images, and

a selecting element selecting one of said partial-source recording mode and said full-source recording mode in response to said appendix data.

6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said controller further comprises a selection element selecting said sub-sets of recording sources in response to said appendix data.

7. The image recording apparatus, according to claim 6 , wherein

said objective image is a multi-color image,

said respective unit images are color-component images of said multi-color image, and

said plurality of recording sources are light sources selectively emitting light beams onto an imaging medium to obtain respective ones of printing plates prepared for a printing process of said multi-color image.

8. A method of recording respective unit images which are to be superposed to form an objective image using a recording head comprising n recording sources which are independently controllable, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting a first sub-set of recording sources less than n among said n recording sources;

recording a first unit image of said objective image on a first imaging area with said first sub-set of recording sources;

selecting a second sub-set of recording sources less than n among said plurality of recording sources, said second sub-set being different from said first sub-set and comprising at least one recording source included in said first sub-set; and

recording a second unit image of said objective image on a second imaging area with said second sub-set of recording sources.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said first and second sub-sets of recording sources comprise same numbers of adjacent recording sources.

10. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising the step of recording information indicating said first and second sub-sets of recording sources on respective marginal regions of said first and second imaging areas, respectively.

11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising the step of selecting one of a partial-source recording mode and a full-source recording mode,

wherein said partial-source recording mode is a mode in which said first and second sub-sets of recording sources are used for recording said first and second unit images, respectively, and

said full-source recording mode is a mode in which all of said n recording sources are used to record respective unit images.

12. A method of recording respective unit images which are to be superposed to form an objective image using a recording head comprising a plurality of recording sources which are independently controllable, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting a first sub-set of recording sources among said plurality of recording sources;

(b) recording a first unit image of said objective image on a first imaging area with said first sub-set of recording sources;

(c) selecting a second sub-set of recording sources which is at least partially different from said first sub-set of recording sources among said plurality of recording sources, wherein said first and second sub-sets of recording sources comprise same numbers of adjacent recording sources;

(d) recording a second unit image of said objective image on a second imaging area with said second sub-set of recording sources;

(e) recording information indicating said first and second sub-sets of recording sources on respective marginal regions of said first and second imaging areas, respectively;

(f) selecting one of a partial-source recording mode and a full-source recording mode, wherein said partial-source recording mode is a mode in which said first and second sub-sets of recording sources are used for recording said first and second unit images, respectively, and said full-source recording mode is a mode in which all of said plurality of recording sources are used to record respective unit images;

(g) receiving appendix data indicating attributes of said respective unit images; and

(h) selecting one of said partial-source recording mode and said full-source recording mode in response to said appendix data.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein selection of one of said first and second sub-sets of recording sources is conducted in response to said appendix data.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein

said objective image is a multi-color image,

said respective unit images are color-component images of said multi-color image, and

said plurality of recording sources are light sources selectively emitting light beams onto an imaging medium to obtain respective ones of printing plates prepared for a printing process of said multi-color image.

15. An image recorder for separately recording a plurality of color component images of an objective multi-color image, said image recorder comprising:

a recording head comprising an arrangement of n recording sources;

a selector selecting a first sub-set of a plurality of recording sources less than n and a second sub-set of a plurality of recording sources less than n among said n recording sources depending on a color component, said second sub-set being different from said first sub-set and comprising at least one recording source included in said first sub-set; and

a controller controlling said recording head to record a first color component image by using said first sub-set of recording sources and record a second color component image by using said second sub-set of recording sources.

16. The image recorder according to claim 15 , wherein selections of parts of said recording sources depending on color components are partially overlapped among said plurality of color components.

17. The image recorder according to claim 15 , wherein

said first sub-set of recording sources comprises adjacent recording sources in said arrangement of recording sources, and

said second sub-set of recording sources comprises adjacent recording sources in said arrangement of recording sources.