Abstract: An apparatus includes a number of apparatus components that are operable to produce an apparatus action. The components include a circuit board that is available for installation in a number of different board variants. Each circuit board variant includes a photoelectric barrier that receives an input signal from a controller of the apparatus, and that generates a photoelectric barrier output signal supplied to the controller. At least one of the circuit board variants includes a delay element that introduces a delay into the output signal from the controller that is supplied to the photoelectric barrier. The delay is matched to the particular variant of the circuit board, so that the controller, by detecting a characteristic of the delay, can identify the circuit board variant of the currently-installed circuit board. The controller then controls the components to produce the apparatus action dependent on the variant of the currently installed circuit board.

Abstract: Techniques are presented for digital ink jet printing upon a substrate with a significant third dimension. Droplets in the range of 120 pL to 200 pL have been found suitable for substrates with variability, in the third dimension, of up to approximately 4 cm. A larger droplet can be generated by utilizing a plurality of drive pulses, each of which generates a smaller droplet, and having the plurality of smaller droplets combine in mid-air. The data to be printed can be derived from a 3D model and such 3D model can also be used to guide shaping of the substrate. The 3D model can be produced from 2D image data. If the 2D image data is a two-dimensional portrait photograph, a result, of using the present invention, can be a realistic portrait in the form of a bas-relief sculpture.

Abstract: A suction device for an ejection head provided with a nozzle includes a cap capable of sealing a nozzle surface provided with the nozzle, a decompression pump serving as a decompression device, and a suction passage provided between the cap and the decompression pump. The negative pressure level of the suction passage set by the decompression pump are controlled on the basis of a volume of the suction passage such that a liquid with which the ejection head has been filled is sucked out from the nozzle.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a control unit configured to perform control so as to apply a first driving voltage to a heat generation element to discharge ink from an orifice and then apply a second driving voltage to the heat generation element so as not to cause bubbling or discharging of ink. In this case, the control unit performs control to apply the second driving voltage before detection of a feature point on the waveform of a signal representing temperatures in a temperature drop process detected by the temperature detection element after application of the first driving voltage and along with the application of the first driving voltage based on a temperature detected by a temperature detection element.

Abstract: A sheet attribution detection sensor device includes a light emission element configured to emit incident light to a paper sheet, a light receiving element configured to receive a specular reflection component of reflection light from the paper sheet of the incident light in order to specify a thickness of the paper sheet, and light receiving elements configured to receive a diffuse reflection component of the reflection light in order to specify one of surface roughness and color of the paper sheet.

Abstract: A printing apparatus including a print head that performs a printing pass that ejects a photocurable liquid onto a printing medium while being displaced in a main scanning direction each time the print head is displaced in a sub-scanning direction by a displacing amount of a sub-scanning operation, a first irradiation unit that follows the print head displaced in the main scanning direction while radiating light onto an area that is larger than the displacing amount of a sub-scanning operation, and a second irradiation unit that irradiates the light towards an area where irradiation of the light has been completed by the first irradiation unit. Furthermore, an integrated quantity of light of the first irradiation unit is reduced and an integrated quantity of light of the second irradiation unit is increased, in accordance with the increase in the set number of printing passes to be carried out.

Abstract: A transport device that includes a PF motor (that drives a PF roller which transports roll paper) and an intermediate motor (that drives an intermediate roller disposed on the upstream side of the PF roller), sets a slack removal force when transporting the roll paper so that the force applied to the paper in a direction opposite to the transport direction of the roll paper is larger as paper width of the roll paper is narrower, sets a slack removal torque as a torque to be outputted from the intermediate motor in accordance with the set slack removal force, and controls the driving of the intermediate motor to output the set slack removal torque. This makes it possible to cause the tension of the roll paper to be uniform regardless of the paper width so as to transport the roll paper precisely.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes an ink container tray which is capable of holding an ink container, a guide portion which guides the ink container tray in a movable manner between an ink container mounting position when mounting the ink container onto the ink container tray and an ink supply position, and a locking mechanism which, when moving the ink container tray, which is positioned further at the ink container mounting position side than a predetermined position between the ink supply position and the ink container mounting position, further to the ink supply position side than the predetermined position, stops the ink container tray from moving further to the ink supply position side than the predetermined position.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus causes the repeated alternating execution of an ejection operation, in which light-curable ink is ejected from a head while the head and a light irradiation unit are moved in a predetermined direction by a movement mechanism, and a transport operation, in which a medium is moved relative to the head and the light irradiation unit in a direction that is orthogonal to the predetermined direction; and reduces the irradiation intensity of the light irradiation unit during acceleration/deceleration periods, when the movement mechanism moves the head and the light irradiation unit at a velocity that is lower than a predetermined velocity, to a lower irradiation intensity than the irradiation intensity of the light irradiation unit during a constant velocity period, when the movement mechanism moves the head and the light irradiation unit at the predetermined velocity.

Abstract: A first guide includes a guiding face to support a recording medium on an upstream of a head in a conveyance direction, a recess formed on the upstream of the head in the conveyance direction, and a protrusion to protrude from the guiding face through the recess. The protrusion includes a first slope upwardly inclined from an upstream end of the protrusion toward the downstream. Atop of the protrusion is positioned on the same level as or an upper level than an upstream end of a supporter, when the supporter is at an opposing position and the protrusion protrudes from the guiding face.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: an apparatus main body that has a transportation unit which transports a recording medium and a liquid droplet ejection head which ejects an ink onto the recording medium; a curing unit that has a curing heater which heats and cures the ink on the recording medium; and a support mechanism that connects the apparatus main body and the curing unit, and displaceably supports the curing unit to be in an unfolded state and to be in a folded state where a depth which is the total length of the apparatus main body and the curing unit is shorter than that in the unfolded state in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the apparatus main body.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes: a first housing; a second housing pivotable about a shaft relative to the first housing between a close position and a distant position; and a tank mount portion provided in the second housing such that a mounting direction of a tank with respect to the tank mount portion in a state in which the second housing is at the distant position has a downward component in a vertical direction. The tank mount portion includes a resistance applying mechanism which applies a resistance force to the tank in a state in which at least a part of the tank is inserted into the tank mount portion when the second housing is at the distant position.

Abstract: A mechanism enables inkjets in a printhead to be operated to eject ink in an effort to replace ink exposed to ambient conditions with ink from within the printhead. The mechanism includes a controller configured to operate an intermediate imaging member to rotate to align a plurality of apertures with inkjets on a printhead. The inkjets are operated to eject ink through the plurality of apertures and ink from within the printhead replaces the ejected ink without impacting the formation of subsequent ink images.

Abstract: A printing device includes a nozzle for discharging liquid, a counter that counts the number of signals for defining a cycle in which the liquid is discharged through the nozzle, and a discharge control portion that controls such that the liquid is not discharged through the nozzle when the number of signals counted by the counter is larger than a predetermined threshold value.

Abstract: A method of driving a liquid ejection head adapted to apply a voltage to the liquid ejection head to eject a liquid including a polymer is provided. The method includes raising the voltage from a first voltage to a second voltage; raising the voltage from the second voltage to a third voltage at a gradient larger than that in raising the voltage from the first to the second voltage, and then holding the voltage at the third voltage; dropping the voltage from the third voltage to a fourth voltage, and then holding the voltage at the fourth voltage; raising the voltage from the fourth voltage to a fifth voltage, and then holding the voltage at the fifth voltage; dropping the voltage from the fifth voltage to a sixth voltage, and then holding the voltage at the sixth voltage; and raising the voltage from the sixth voltage to a seventh voltage.

Abstract: A method for measuring the volume of liquid, such as ink or solvent, remaining in a container, such as a replacement cartridge for a continuous ink jet printer, uses a reservoir enclosing an internal space having a variable volume for storage. The reservoir is adapted to provide a reduction in the pressure of the internal space, the reduction substantially monotonically increasing in magnitude as liquid is drawn into the printer, such that the volume of liquid remaining may be calculated from knowledge of the minimum withdrawal pressure required to draw further liquid from the reservoir into the printer. Containers for use with the method have a liquid dispensing port adapted to allow liquid to be dispensed when a withdrawal pressure at the exterior of the port is less than the pressure of the internal space and adapted to prevent the ingress of air into the internal space of the reservoir as liquid is dispensed.

Abstract: A drying unit that dries a printed paper sheet is disposed at a position downstream to a liquid ejecting head in a transportation direction. The drying unit includes a heater having a heating surface that also serves as a transportation surface of the paper sheet, an upstream roller that is disposed at a position opposite the heating surface, and a downstream roller that is disposed at a position downstream to the upstream roller in the transportation direction and opposite the heating surface. A distance between the upstream roller and the heating surface is longer than a distance between the downstream roller and the heating surface.

Abstract: According to the inkjet recording apparatus and the image recording method of the present invention, since the droplet volume of droplets ejected from ejection abnormality nozzles is limited to not greater than a prescribed upper limit value, and the droplet volume of droplets ejected from other normally functioning nozzles is corrected on the basis of correction values used for correction of non-uniformities in the image caused by ejection abnormality nozzles, then in even in cases where the interval between droplets ejected from adjacent nozzles which are adjacent to an ejection abnormality nozzle becomes larger due to landing interference, in particular, it is possible to perform image recording by using droplets ejected from deflecting nozzles. As a result of this, the occurrence of non-uniformities (stripe non-uniformities) in the image can be suppressed.

Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting unit that ejects ink onto paper, a first removal roller that rotates in a direction opposite to a transportation direction of the paper at a first contact position in a state of being contact with a first surface of the paper that is transported at the first contact position so as to remove adhering objects which have adhered to the paper, and a second removal roller that rotates in a direction opposite to the transportation direction of the paper at a second contact position in a state of being contact with a second surface of the paper that is transported at the second contact position so as to remove adhering objects which have adhered to the paper.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that rotates; and an exposure unit that includes multiple light emitters, a holding unit, and first contact portions, the multiple light emitters being arranged along a rotation axis direction of the image carrier, the holding unit holding the multiple light emitters, the first contact portions being positioned on the holding unit so as to sandwich the multiple light emitters therebetween, the exposure unit exposing the image carrier to light. While the image carrier is being mounted on an apparatus body, the exposure unit is moved away from the image carrier in an optical axis direction of the exposure unit as a result of the first contact portions coming into contact with the image carrier, and the exposure unit and the image carrier are positioned as a result of the first contact portions coming into contact with the image carrier.