Abstract: An apparatus (30, 40, 50) and a method of ink jet printing are disclosed that use a system for feeding a substrate longitudinally relative to a support area and a system for moving a printhead parallel to the direction of substrate feed. Indexing between transverse scan rows of a printhead (20) is carried out initially by the substrate feed system (16) and the actual feed distance is measured using an encoder or other substrate position measurement device (26). A controller (25) determines the amount of any error that occurs between the actual and the desired feed distances. The controller (25) then sends signals to move the printhead (20) to compensate for any error in the feed system feed. Compensating adjustments are then made to the next subsequent substrate indexing step so that the printhead tends to move back toward its home or zeroed position with its next correction and does not walk away from this home position as a result of cumulative movements.

Abstract: An apparatus (30, 40, 50) and a method of ink jet printing arc disclosed that use a system for feeding a substrate longitudinally relative to a support area and a system for moving a printhead parallel to the direction of substrate feed. Indexing between transverse scan rows of a printhead (20) is carried out initially by the substrate feed system (16) and the actual feed distance is measured using an encoder or other substrate position measurement device (26). A controller (25) determines the amount of any error that occurs between the actual and the desired feed distances. The controller (25) then sends signals to move the printhead (20) to compensate for any error in the feed system feed. Compensating adjustments are then made to the next subsequent substrate indexing step so that the printhead tends to move back toward its home or zeroed position with its next correction and does not walk away from this home position as a result of cumulative movements.

Abstract: An ink jet printing is provided on large area such as wide textile webs, having such pores or other opening therethrough such that, when ink is jetted from a print head onto the web, some of the ink jets through the opening to a side of the web opposite the print head. At the printing station, maintaining a space between the web and the surface such that the web is out of contact with the surface at the printing station so that when ink jetted through the web and onto the surface it does not contaminate the web.

Abstract: Ink jet printing is provided on large area substrates such as wide width textile webs. The printheads are driven by linear servo motors (633) across a bridge (630) that extends across the substrate. The timing of the jetting of the ink is coordinated with the motion of the printheads (640,641), so that the heads can be rapidly moved and the ink can be jetted while the printheads are accelerating or decelerating as they move on the bridge. Preferably, ultraviolet (UV) light curable ink is jetted and first partially cured with UV light (645,646) and then subjected to heating to more completely reduce uncured monomers of the ink on the substrate. Preferably, the heat is applied by contacting the substrate with a heated plate (661,662). Ink jet printing is provided using ultraviolet (UV) light curable or other curable composition or stable or other printable substance. In certain embodiments the UV ink has a dye-component therein.

Abstract: Ink jet printing is provided on large area substrates such as wide width textile webs. The printheads are driven by linear servo motors across a bridge that extends across the substrate. The timing of the jetting of the ink is coordinated with the motion of the printheads, so that the heads can be rapidly moved and the ink can be jetted while the printheads are accelerating or decelerating as they move on the bridge. Preferably, ultraviolet (UV) light curable ink is jetted and first partially cured with UV light and then subjected to heating to more completely reduce uncured monomers of the ink on the substrate.

Abstract: Ink jet printing is provided onto fabric using ultraviolet (UV) light curable ink. The ink is first partially cured with UV light and then is subjected to heating to more completely cure the ink and to remove by evaporation or otherwise, the uncured monomers and producing a printed image of ink having an amount of unpolymerized monomers and polymerization reactants and byproducts that is less than a food industry packaging standard of 100 PPM, and as low as 10 PPM. The printing is provided in a quilting machine having a quilting station and a printing station located upstream of the quilting station. Preferably, at the printing station, only a top layer of fabric is printed with a multi-colored design under the control of a programmed controller. UV curable ink is jetted onto the fabric with a dot volume of about 75 picoliters.

Abstract: Ink jet printing is provided on large area substrates such as wide width textile webs. The printheads are driven by linear servo motors across a bridge that extends across the substrate. The timing of the jetting of the ink is coordinated with the motion of the printheads, so that the heads can be rapidly moved and the ink can be jetted while the printheads are accelerating or decelerating as they move on the bridge. Preferably, ultraviolet (UV) light curable ink is jetted and first partially cured with UV light and then subjected to heating to more completely reduce uncured monomers of the ink on the substrate.

Abstract: Ink jet printing is provided onto fabric using ultraviolet (UV) light curable ink. The ink is first partially cured with UV light and then is subjected to heating to more completely cure the ink and to remove by evaporation or otherwise, the uncured monomers and producing a printed image of ink having an amount of unpolymerized monomers and polymerization reactants and byproducts that is less than a food industry packaging standard of 100 PPM, and as low as 10 PPM. The printing is provided in a quilting machine having a quilting station and a printing station located upstream of the quilting station. Preferably, at the printing station, only a top layer of fabric is printed with a multi-colored design under the control of a programmed controller. UV curable ink is jetted onto the fabric with a dot volume of about 75 picoliters.

Abstract: Ink jet printing is provided onto fabric using ultraviolet (UV) light curable ink. The ink is first cured with UV light to about a 90-97% cure, and then is subjected to heating to more completely cure the ink and to remove by evaporation or otherwise, the uncured monomers and producing a printed image of ink having less than 100 PPM of uncured monomers, and as low as 10 PPM of uncured monomers. The printing is provided in a quilting machine having a quilting station and a printing station located upstream of the quilting station. Preferably, at the printing station, only a top layer of fabric is printed with a multicolored design under the control of a programmed controller. UV curable ink is jetted at a dot density of about 180×254 dots or more per inch per color, each dot of about 80 picoliters.