Abstract: A printer includes a printhead configured to eject high viscosity material and refill a reservoir in the printhead with high viscosity material. The printhead includes a transducer having an electroactive element and a member to which the electroactive element is mounted. An electrical signal activates the electroactive element to move the electroactive element and the member in the reservoir of high viscosity material. This movement thins the high viscosity material and enables the printhead to eject the thinned material while refilling the reservoir. The apertures through which the thinned material is ejected share a common manifold without separate chambers for each of the apertures.

Abstract: An image transfer medium for transferring an ink image onto a substrate is provided on its surface with a layer of particles that include an aggregation treatment agent capable of crashing out colorants, latex and/or resin in the liquid ink. The particles can include a surfactant or separate particles consisting essentially of a surfactant can be mixed with particles consisting essentially of the aggregation treatment agent.

Abstract: A digital printer is configured to form with marking material a solid background and a negative image of features to be formed with a liquid ink. The liquid ink is applied to the solid background and negative image of the features to be formed with the liquid ink with an applicator that contacts the surface on which the solid background and features are located. An absorbent member is moved into contact with the solid background and the features formed with the liquid ink to remove the liquid ink from the solid background, while leaving the liquid ink in the features.

Abstract: A printer includes a printhead configured to eject high viscosity material and refill a manifold in the printhead with high viscosity material. The printhead includes a layer having an opening to form a reservoir to hold a volume of a high viscosity material and at least one member positioned within the receptacle formed by the opening in the layer. The at least one member has an electroactive element mounted to the member, and an electrical signal generator is electrically connected to the electroactive element. A controller operates the electrical signal generator to activate selectively the electroactive element with a first electrical signal to move the at least one member and thin the high viscosity material adjacent the at least one member to enable the thinned material to move away from the at least one member.

Abstract: An image transfer medium for transferring an ink image onto a substrate is provided on its surface with a layer of particles that include an aggregation treatment agent capable of crashing out colorants, latex and/or resin in the liquid ink. A method for transferring an ink image includes providing an image transfer medium; applying a layer of particles to the image transfer medium, the particles including an aggregation treatment agent capable of crashing out colorants, latex and/or resin in liquid ink; applying liquid ink drops to the image transfer medium; initiating crashing of the colorant, latex and/or resin in the ink drops upon contact with the particles; and upon a sufficient amount of aggregation and drying, contacting a second substrate to the image transfer medium to transfer the ink from the transfer medium to the second substrate.

Abstract: A method for compensating for inoperative ejectors in a three-dimensional object printer has been developed. A printer generates half-tone data for a material for each layer of a three-dimensional object. The printer detects half-tone data that corresponds to an inoperative ejector of a printhead. The printer modifies the half-tone data by moving the half-tone values corresponding to the inoperative ejector to adjacent positions within the generated half-tone data in which a zero half-tone value is stored. The printer operates the printhead with reference to the modified half-tone data to print the three-dimensional object.

Abstract: A method of generating a test pattern for use in identification of a z-axis distance between a printhead and a substrate in a three-dimensional object printer includes forming a first predetermined test pattern on a substrate with the printhead and generating image data of the first test pattern. The method further includes identifying cross-process direction offsets of marks in the image data of the first test pattern and generating second test pattern data for the printhead using only a portion of the ejectors in the printhead and not including a mark from at least one ejector in the printhead with a cross-process direction offset that is less than another cross-process direction offset of at least one ejector in the portion of the ejectors.

Abstract: A method compensates for malfunctioning ejectors in inkjet printers and three-dimensional object printers. Multi-level tone data corresponding to a malfunctioning inkjet or ejector is detected and used to modify multi-level tone data surrounding the multi-level tone data corresponding to the malfunctioning ejector and decrement the datum corresponding to a malfunctioning ejector as each surrounding datum is modified. The modification of the surrounding multi-level tone data continues with reference to a datum corresponding to a malfunctioning ejector until the datum corresponding to the malfunctioning ejector falls below a predetermined threshold. The modified multi-level tone data is then used to operate the printer to form an ink image or three-dimensional object.

Abstract: A device includes a substrate; and a discontinuous layer disposed on a surface of the substrate, wherein the discontinuous layer is formed from non-contiguous drops of auxiliary fluid which do not draw back or pool on the substrate when a fluid drop is deposited thereon. A method for ink jet printing includes providing a discontinuous layer formed from drops of auxiliary fluid on a transfer member, wherein the drops of auxiliary fluid are non-contiguous and do not draw back or pool on the substrate when an ink drop is deposited thereon; ejecting ink droplets to form an ink image on the discontinuous layer; and transferring the ink jet image from the transfer member to a recording medium. An intermediate transfer member of an ink jet printer includes a substrate; and a discontinuous layer disposed on a surface of the substrate. An ink jet printer includes a transfer member; and a discontinuous layer disposed on a surface of the transfer member.

Abstract: A method for printing a three-dimensional crystalline structure such as a chocolate layer wherein, after printing, the material has a desired crystal structure and a plurality of non-random cavities. An embodiment can include printing a liquid first layer of material with a printer onto a second layer of material having a crystal structure. Subsequently, the printed liquid first layer is processed to solidify the first layer. During the processing of the printed liquid first layer, the second layer functions as a crystal seed layer through physical contact with the printed liquid first layer and the second layer crystallizes with the crystal structure. In some embodiments, confections may be formed from high-quality chocolate, where the confection has a reduced caloric content with acceptable mouthfeel. In other embodiments, a confection may have a previously unrealized mouthfeel and taste.

Abstract: An inkjet printer is configured to apply a coating material to an imaging surface before an ink image is formed on the surface. At least one optical sensor generates image data of the coating on the imaging surface and identifies a thickness of the coating material. Components of the coating material applicator can be adjusted to keep the thickness of the coating material within a predetermined range.

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 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 method of operating a printer includes identifying a halftone level a first ink drop parameter corresponding to a contone level in image data for using a contone to halftone mapping. The method includes operating printheads to form a printed pattern using the first ink drop parameter and identifying a reflectance level of the printed pattern in scanned image data. The method includes modifying the halftone level in the mapping if the identified reflectance level is outside of a tolerance range from a normalized reflectance value associated with the contone level and storing the modified halftone level in a memory for printing the contone level.

Abstract: An image transfer medium for transferring an ink image onto a substrate is provided on its surface with a layer of particles that include an aggregation treatment agent capable of crashing out colorants, latex and/or resin in the liquid ink. A method for transferring an ink image includes providing an image transfer medium; applying a layer of particles to the image transfer medium, the particles including an aggregation treatment agent capable of crashing out colorants, latex and/or resin in liquid ink; applying liquid ink drops to the image transfer medium; initiating crashing of the colorant, latex and/or resin in the ink drops upon contact with the particles; and upon a sufficient amount of aggregation and drying, contacting a second substrate to the image transfer medium to transfer the ink from the transfer medium to the second substrate.

Abstract: A method enables primary color values for pixel to be processed before the pixel is rendered. The method includes allocating non-black primary colors as being under black, secondary colors, or tertiary colors.

Abstract: A method of operating an inkjet printer reduces ink drop placement errors in a process direction. The method includes generating firing signals for inkjets in a printhead at a first frequency and initiating the generation of the firing signals to a first plurality of inkjets in the printhead at a second frequency, the first frequency being greater than the second frequency.

Abstract: An inkjet printer estimates ink usage in the printer with reference to image pixels and a history of inkjet firing for each inkjet. The printer includes an apparatus that generates an ink mass for each image pixel with reference to the image pixel and a predetermined number of previously ejected image pixels and identifies a total ink mass measurement for a printhead with reference to the ink masses generated for the image pixels of an image to be printed by the inkjet printer.

Abstract: An inkjet printer estimates ink usage in the printer with reference to image pixels and a history of inkjet firing for each inkjet. The printer includes an apparatus that generates an ink mass for each image pixel with reference to the image pixel and a predetermined number of previously ejected image pixels and identifies a total ink mass measurement for a printhead with reference to the ink masses generated for the image pixels of an image to be printed by the inkjet printer.

Abstract: An aqueous inkjet printer is configured to evaluate and adjust multiple components within the printer with reference to image data of the surface of a rotating member obtained at different times during a single print cycle. The print cycle can be performed in a multiple pass manner to enable a single optical sensor to be used for generation of the image data. Alternatively, the print cycle can be performed in a single revolution of the rotating member and multiple optical sensors positioned about the rotating member to generate the image data.