Abstract: In an example, a surface inspection apparatus includes a light source to illuminate a portion of a surface in a print apparatus, a light detection apparatus and processing circuitry. The light detection apparatus may receive diffusely reflected light and specularly reflected light from the portion of the surface, and may comprise a detection element for detecting the specularly reflected light. The processing circuitry may comprise a comparison module to determine a relationship between an intensity of the detected diffusely reflected light and the detected specularly reflected light and a quality module to evaluate if the surface meets a quality criterion based on the relationship.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording unit, a conveyance unit, an application amount information acquisition unit, a determination unit, a direction information acquisition unit, and a setting unit. The recording unit performs recording by applying ink to paper. The application amount information acquisition unit acquires information related to an amount of ink that the recording unit applies to a predetermined region of the paper. The determination unit determines execution of prevention or reduction processing for preventing or reducing curling occurring after recording is performed. The determination is made according to the acquired amount of ink. The direction information acquisition unit acquires information indicating a paper grain direction of the paper relative to a conveyance direction in which the conveyance unit conveys the paper.

Abstract: Some embodiments of a device comprise a cleaning-fluid-supply reservoir; a cleaning-fluid-supply conduit; one or more electrical connectors that are configured to be attached to a printhead and supply electrical signals to the printhead; one or more memories; and one or more processors that are in communication with the one or more memories. Also, the one or more processors cooperate with the one or more memories to cause the device to perform operations that include supplying cleaning fluid from the cleaning-fluid-supply reservoir, through the cleaning-fluid-supply conduit, to the printhead, and while supplying the cleaning fluid to the printhead, sending a signal to the printhead, through the one or more electrical connectors, to activate one or more piezo-electric actuators of the printhead.

Abstract: A liquid discharge head is provided in which heat of a heat sink is less apt to transfer to a head body. The liquid discharge head includes a head body 2a having a discharge hole for discharging a liquid therethrough, a driver IC 93 configured to control driving of the head body 2a, a casing 91 which is disposed on the head body 2a and has openings 91a and 91b on a side surface of the casing, and a heat sink 90 which is disposed on the openings 91a and 91b of the casing 91 and configured to dissipate heat generated in the driver IC 93, and a thermal insulation part 91e disposed between the heat sink 90 and the head body 2a. This makes it possible to reduce the likelihood that the heat of the heat sink 91e transfers to the head body 2a.

Abstract: A medium processing apparatus includes an intermediate stacker on which media recorded by a recording apparatus are stacked, the recording apparatus including a liquid ejection head which performs recording by ejecting liquid to media and a maintenance apparatus which performs maintenance of the liquid ejection head, and a processor which executes a process on the media received by the intermediate stacker. The medium processing apparatus executes the process after a medium which is last recorded before the maintenance is stacked on the intermediate stacker.

Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus comprising: a discharge unit for performing recording processing in which a liquid is discharged onto a recording medium; a waste liquid containing unit for containing a waste liquid; a mount unit to which the waste liquid containing unit is mounted; a detection unit for detecting whether the waste liquid containing unit is mounted; and a control unit for controlling a discharge operation of a liquid from the discharge unit, wherein if the detection unit detects that the waste liquid containing unit is not mounted, the control unit controls not to perform the discharge operation, and the control unit performs a first recovery operation for restoring the discharge unit after the detection unit has detected that the waste liquid containing unit is not mounted, and before the next execution of the recording processing.

Abstract: An ink tank that enables to check whether a cover of an ink tank is normally bonded to the ink tank includes a first chamber having a supply port for supplying ink to a printing head that ejects ink, a second chamber having an external air introduction port capable of introducing external air, a partition wall configured to separate the first chamber and the second chamber, a communication path provided in the partition wall and configured to place the first chamber and the second chamber in communication with each other, a first cover member configured to cover an opening of the first chamber without extending over an opening of the second chamber, and a second cover member configured to cover the opening of the second chamber without extending over the opening of the first chamber.

Abstract: A fluid ejector includes a nozzle layer, a body, an actuator and a membrane. The body includes a pumping chamber, a return channel, and a first passage fluidically connecting the pumping chamber to an entrance of the nozzle. A second passage fluidically connects the entrance of the nozzle to the return channel. The actuator is configured to cause fluid to flow out of the pumping chamber such that actuation of the actuator causes fluid to be ejected from the nozzle. The membrane is formed across and partially blocks at least one of the first passage, the second passage or the entrance of the nozzle. The membrane has at least one hole therethrough such that in operation of the fluid ejector fluid flows through the at least one hole in the membrane.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide for a fluid management system and a method of utilizing the fluid management system. The fluid management system includes a servicing fluid management system and an ink management system. The servicing fluid management system and the ink management system run in parallel within an inkjet chamber. The ink management system supports the flow of inkjet materials between a waste tank, one or more inkjet material supply tanks, an ink management module, and the inkjet printer. The servicing fluid management system supports the flow of servicing fluids between the waste tank, one or more servicing fluid supply tanks, a servicing fluid management module, and the inkjet printer.

Abstract: A nozzle cleaning apparatus includes a body part, a brush part formed on a first surface of the body part and having a size such that the brush part is inserted into a nozzle to remove foreign substances, and a drive unit for lifting the body part so that the brush part is inserted into the nozzle.

Abstract: A method of inkjet printer operation indicates a need for printhead purging without requiring analysis of printed images to detect streakiness in the images. The method compares terms of a histogram of a filtered response of an inkjet status vector to a streakiness metric to determine whether the distribution of inoperative inkjets in a printhead enables missing ink techniques to be used to compensate for inoperative inkjets in the printhead.

Abstract: A cover opening and closing device (100) includes a cover section (110), a rotary shaft (X), and a plurality of locking sections (120). The cover section (110) covers an opening (23) of a main body section (2). The rotary shaft (X) connects the cover section (110) to the main body section (2) in a manner that the cover section (110) is pivotal between a first position and a second position. The locking sections (120) lock the cover section (110) in the first position. The first position is a position in which the cover section (110) covers the opening (23). The second position is a position in which the cover section (110) does not cover the opening (23). When at least one of the locking sections (120) is not locking the cover section (110), the cover section (110) pivots from the first position to the second position.

Abstract: Systems and methods for industrial printing, e.g., using drop-on-demand (DOD) inkjet print heads, include, in at least one aspect, a printing device including: a print head including a print engine, including multiple nozzles, and circuitry to selectively eject ink through the multiple nozzles to form an image on a moving substrate, and to purge the ink through the multiple nozzles; and a printhead enclosure having an opening in front of the multiple nozzles to allow the selectively ejected ink to pass through the opening when the selectively ejected ink is ejected toward the moving substrate; wherein the printhead enclosure includes a hole placed away from the multiple nozzles; and wherein the printhead enclosure is configured to direct the ink that is purged through the multiple nozzles along an inside surface of the printhead enclosure to the hole through which the ink flows and exits the printhead enclosure.

Abstract: A liquid leakage detection device includes a first absorption layer, a second absorption layer, and a pair of terminals. The first absorption layer absorbs liquid. The second absorption layer is stacked on the first absorption layer, and absorbs the liquid. The pair of terminals are in contact only with the second absorption layer.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes: a recording section that is configured to move between a first position at which a liquid ejecting section performs recording on a medium transported on a transport path and a second position at which the recording section is retreated from the transport path; a wiper that wipes a liquid ejection surface of the liquid ejecting section by moving in a direction extending along the liquid ejection surface in a state in which the recording section is at the second position; and a regulating unit that is configured to switch between a regulating state in which regulating of movement of the recording section in the first direction is performed and a non-regulating state in which the regulating is not performed and that has the regulating state when the recording section is at the second position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a housing, a container body, and an electrostatic capacitance sensor. The container body contains a liquid and is placed on a ground surface which is a part of the housing. The electrostatic capacitance sensor detects a change in capacitance between a side surface of the container body and the ground surface to determine a change in quantity of the liquid in the container body. The top surface of the container body is a part of the housing. The top surface and the ground surface are in electrically conductive state, a distance between the top surface and the electrostatic capacitance sensor is longer than a distance between the ground surface and the electrostatic capacitance sensor, or the top surface and the ground surface are electrically insulated, or the top surface is opened.

Abstract: A liquid discharge device includes a liquid discharge unit that discharges a liquid and a cleaner. The liquid discharge unit has a first end, a second end, and a third end extending in a direction intersecting the first end and the second end. The cleaner moves relative to the liquid discharge unit in a movement direction from the first end toward the second end while contacting the liquid discharge unit with a contact force and a contact pressure. The contact force of the cleaner contacting one of the first end and the second end is smaller than the contact force of the cleaner contacting a portion of the liquid discharge unit other than the first end and the second end.

Abstract: A determination signal indicates whether each of a plurality of nozzles of a liquid ejection head is an abnormal nozzle. A controller stores, in a memory, information on a nozzle determined to be the abnormal nozzle among the plurality of nozzles; in response to receiving a particular signal and determining that the memory does not store abnormality flag information and that the number of the abnormal nozzle stored in the memory is larger than a first threshold value, control a recovery device to perform a recovery operation; and in response to receiving the particular signal and determining that the memory stores the abnormality flag information and that the number of the abnormal nozzle is larger than a second threshold value, control the recovery device to perform the recovery operation. The second threshold value is smaller than the first threshold value.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a plurality of cleaning members that come into contact with an ejection surface of a droplet ejector that ejects droplets to clean the ejection surface, in which the plurality of cleaning members are in a wet state.

Abstract: Aspects of a disclosure relates to a liquid discharge device enables previously disabled liquid discharge through a head after a cartridge including a first liquid chamber is replaced and before the liquid level in a second liquid chamber of a tank reaches a predetermined level or higher. Another aspect of the disclosure relates to a liquid discharge device that deactivates an alarm after a cartridge including a first liquid chamber is replaced and before the liquid level in a second liquid reaches a predetermined level or higher.