Abstract: A printing system includes a media transport system and first and second printheads that print first and second patterns on first and second sides of the media, respectively. An image registration system includes a fiducial including an origin and first and second sides. A first camera captures a first fiducial image of the first side and origin and a first pattern image of the first pattern. A second camera captures a second fiducial image of the second side and origin and a second pattern image of the second pattern. A registration controller processes the first and second fiducial images and pattern images to determine a relative position of the first and second patterns. A print controller, controlling printhead operation, adjusts the registration of subsequently printed patterns on at least one of the first and second sides of the media based on the determined relative pattern position.

Abstract: A surface-emitting laser includes a substrate; a lower semiconductor multilayer film reflector disposed on the substrate; a resonator structure including an active layer and disposed on the lower semiconductor multilayer film reflector; and an upper semiconductor multilayer film reflector disposed on the resonator structure. The second semiconductor multilayer film reflector includes a confinement structure in which a current passage region is surrounded by an oxidized portion of a selectively oxidized layer containing aluminum. An emission region includes a central portion and a peripheral portion, the peripheral portion being covered with a transparent dielectric film whose reflectivity is lower than a reflectivity of the central portion. The selectively oxidized layer has a thickness in a range from 30 nm to 40 nm. The temperature at which an oscillation threshold current is minimized is 60° C. or lower.

Abstract: A method for operating an inkjet imaging system includes generating a coverage area map that identifies areas of an image that have different coverage area densities. Color inkjet ejectors form an image on an image receiving member, and clear inkjet ejectors eject halftone patterns on the image receiving member and on the ink forming the image. The halftone levels of the clear ink in each area on the image and image receiving member are selected in response to the coverage area density for each area.

Abstract: In a liquid ejecting apparatus, when a ON/OFF detector detects that power of the liquid ejecting apparatus is switched to an ON state from an OFF state, a controller controls a liquid transfer unit such that liquid is transferred to a tank of which residual amount of liquid is smaller from a tank of which residual amount of liquid is larger based on the residual amount of liquid in a first tank detected by the first liquid residual amount detector and the residual amount of liquid in a second tank detected by the second liquid residual amount detector.

Abstract: A laser scanning assembly generates a laser beam and scans the laser beam through a plurality of scan lines to form desired dots. Each scan line is positioned to overlap an adjacent scan line and each dot includes a plurality of segments. The scanning assembly scans the laser beam through multiple scan lines to fully discharge each segment of each dot. The laser scanner assembly would typically be part of a laser printer.

Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing apparatus which can restrict each of coloring of reflected light and image clarity within an allowable range required in each of a color mode and a monochromatic mode in any of the modes to output an image with a high grade. For this end, a print duty of each of the first image improving liquid and the second image improving liquid is set in such a manner that a ratio of the print duty of the first image improving liquid having low penetratability to the print duty of the second image improving liquid having high penetratability is higher in the monochromatic mode than that in the color mode. Thereby, an appropriate ratio and an appropriate amount of appropriate kinds of the image improving liquids are applied to each of the color mode and the monochromatic mode.

Abstract: A carriage is precisely controlled in short-distance movement. The carriage is controlled upon printing by an inkjet printhead by reciprocally moving the carriage to which the printhead is mounted along a guide rail by a driving force supplied from a carriage motor. More specifically, a carriage position in the reciprocal direction is detected, and a carriage speed is calculated based on the detected positions. Then, the positions and carriage speed are fed back to control drive of the carriage motor. In the feedback-control, a loss due to friction generated between the carriage and the guide rail is compensated for with respect to a motor instruction value used to control drive of the carriage motor. The compensation is performed by identifying, based on the carriage speed, whether the friction is static or kinetic, and determining a compensation value in accordance with the identification.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrying body, a driving unit which rotates the image carrying body in a medium supplying direction, a light scanning unit which comprises a light source and a beam deflecting unit to scan a light beam from the light source to and fro in a main scanning direction to form a scanning line having an image section and a non image section, and a controller which stops the driving unit if the light beam from the beam deflecting unit is on the image section, and drives the driving unit if the light beam is on the non image section.

Abstract: When recording is performed by causing a recording head to scan a unit region of a recording medium multiple times, values related to the respective amounts of inks of multiple colors to be ejected to each of sub-regions obtained by dividing the unit region in the scanning direction are obtained. On the basis of values related to the respective amounts of the inks of multiple colors for a sub-region of interest and neighboring sub-regions adjacent to the sub-region of interest, the number of scans for the unit region including the sub-region of interest is determined.

Abstract: System and methods for heating and transporting liquefied solid ink in an imaging device. The system includes an electroconductive tube that not only melts the solid ink, but also permits a control system to sense the ink temperature due to the tube's inherent properties. A controller operatively coupled to the electroconductive tube provides power to the tube, which in turn enables current flow. The flow of current resistively heats the electroconductive tube, thereby heating and melting the ink. Further, the controller is configured to control the current flowing through the tube.

Abstract: An image forming device includes a pump which supplies a recording fluid contained in a first container to a second container via a tube, and a control unit configured to perform rotation of a roller disposed in the pump to press the tube and feed the recording fluid in the tube. When a negative pressure in the second container is not formed by performing a first backward rotation of the roller by a predetermined amount, the control unit performs a forward rotation of the roller and performs a second backward rotation of the roller after an end of the forward rotation.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a multiple value conversion device which carries out quantization processing of original image data having multiple tones (M values) to convert the original image data to image data of N values having fewer tones than the original image data (where M and N are integers satisfying M>N?2), wherein: the recording head has a two-dimensional nozzle arrangement where the nozzle rows are arranged in a first direction which is a direction of the relative movement between the recording head and the recording medium, and the multiple value conversion device generates the image data of N values representing a dot pattern having blue noise characteristics in the first direction and green noise characteristics in a second direction which is a direction perpendicular to the first direction on the recording medium to achieve tonal representation based on the dot pattern having these frequency characteristics.

Abstract: A disclosed image forming apparatus is capable of solving the problems of deterioration of a foam application function and driving systems caused by the dried and fixed foam remaining without being applied. The image forming apparatus includes a foam forming section forming foam, a reservoir section supplying foam formed by the foam forming section to an application roller, a discharge channel through which extra foam is collected from the reservoir section, and a heating unit for heating the extra foam to return the extra foam to a liquid form. The discharged liquid prepared by defoaming the foam discharged through the discharge channel is returned to a container containing the defoamed liquid.

Abstract: A laser scanning unit and an image forming apparatus having the same may include a polygonal mirror connected to a rotor of a driving motor, a member disposed opposite the rotor in the axial direction of a rotating shaft of the driving motor and a flux-reduction unit configured to reduce the flux of air or any other gas flowing in the space between the rotor and the member.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus includes: a conveyer belt with a plurality of belt holes formed therein, the conveyer belt suctioning and conveying a recording medium with a negative pressure acting on the belt holes; a platen with a plurality of through holes formed therein; a pressure-reducing unit for generating the negative pressure on a side of the platen opposite from the side thereof supporting the conveyer belt; inkjet nozzles disposed to face the platen; a distance-changing unit for changing a distance between the inkjet nozzles and a surface of the conveyer belt on which the recording medium is suctioned; and a size-adjusting unit for adjusting, when the distance is large, a size of at least one through hole in a through hole group, which includes the through holes positioned in the vicinity of the inkjet nozzles, such that the size of the at least one through hole is reduced.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first path through which liquid is supplied to a recording head; a second path connected to a liquid tank; a pressure-adjustment valve connecting the first path with the second path, wherein resistance inside the pressure-adjustment valve changes according to a flow rate of the liquid flowing through the first path; a third path connecting the second path with the pressure-adjustment valve, wherein the third path includes a pump; a fourth path that connects the recording head with the liquid tank and bypasses the pressure-adjustment valve; and an opening/closing valve that opens/closes the fourth path. When an environmental temperature exceeds a threshold, liquid is supplied to the recording head by operating the pump and opening the fourth path. When the environmental temperature is less than the threshold, liquid is supplied to the recording head by operating the pump and closing the fourth path.

Abstract: An ink jet printer including a carriage which is movable relative to a sheet of paper, a recording head which is mounted on the carriage and records an image on the sheet by ejecting a droplet of ink toward the sheet, one or more ink tanks which store the ink or inks to be supplied to the recording head, a buffer tank which is mounted on the carriage, and one or more ink flow passages in which the inks are supplied from the ink tanks to the recording head via the buffer tank. The buffer tank has, at a height position higher than a height position where the recording head is provided, one or more air buffer chambers which accommodate respective amounts of the inks, and collect air bubbles produced in the ink flow passages.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a MEMS inkjet type print head and the resulting device is disclosed. The method includes providing a driver component and separately providing an actuatable membrane component, the actuatable membrane component being formed in the absence of an acid etch removing a sacrificial layer. The separately provided actuatable membrane component is bonded to the driver component and a nozzle plate is attached to the actuatable membrane component subsequent to the bonding. Separately fabricating the components removes the need for hydrofluoric acid etch removal of a sacrificial layer previously required for forming the actuatable membrane with respect to the driver component.

Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus includes an optical deflector that deflects a light beam at a substantially constant angular velocity and an optical system that condenses the deflected light beam onto a to-be-scanned surface thereby performing optical scanning of the to-be-scanned surface. The to-be-scanned surface is a surface of a latent image carrier having a charge generation layer that generates carriers and a charge transport layer. A driving unit drives the optical deflector at a scanning frequency at which exposure is attained in a state where the carriers generated at the charge generation layer of the latent image carrier substantially stay still.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an optical-path deflecting unit that deflects optical paths of optical beams in one group out of two groups, the optical beams being provided in a sub-scanning direction at a predetermined pitch; a scanning unit that scans a surface to in a main scanning direction with the one group of which the optical paths have been deflected and another group of which the optical paths are not deflected; and a control unit that controls the optical-path deflecting unit to deflect optical paths of the optical beams in the one group so that irradiation positions of the optical beams in the one group and irradiation positions of the optical beams in the another group are alternately arranged at regular intervals.