a direct marking , bidirectional , swathing printer eliminates hue shift between forward and reverse directions swath of the printhead by including at least two sets of printheads , with each set including a printhead for each of the set of colors deposited by the printhead . the color order of the different printheads of each set are different between the two sets , and preferably in reverse order , so that as the printheads move in both the forward and reverse directions alternating rows of dots are formed in reverse color order , so that hue shift due to the order in which colors are deposited occurs on a dot to dot basis , rather than on a swath to swath basis .