Abstract: Feeding a plurality of successive sheets of a recording medium by calculating an expected time for a page end detection of a current sheet, and feeding a next sheet of the successive sheets in accordance with the calculated time, but prior to detection of the page end of the current sheet. Calculating the expected time may be detecting the page end for the current sheet, and mathematically filtering the page end detection of the current sheet with a current estimate of expected time for page end detection of the next sheet. The current estimate may be initialized after a first sheet of the successive sheets with a page end detection of the first sheet. The feeding of the next sheet may be controlled by controlling a time between the current sheet and the next sheet based on a time between the page end detection of the current sheet and a detection of the next sheet so as to obtain and maintain the time within a target range.

Abstract: An ink jet head cartridge includes a recording head for ejecting ink; an ink container for containing the ink to be supplied to the recording head; an air venting opening for communication between the container and ambience to allow supply of the ink from the container to the recording head; wherein the air venting opening is constituted by an outside opening and an inside opening and a passage connecting them, the passage has a length larger than a thickness of the ink container.

Abstract: Printing on a recording medium by lateral scans of a print head in accordance with print data. Content of print data is determined. Then, the print data is printed either with a first lateral scan process using a critical zone at edges in a lateral scan of the print head for printing, or with a second lateral scan process that does not use the critical zone for printing. The first or second lateral scan process is selected based on the print data. Preferably, the critical zone is sized in correspondence with ramp up non-uniformities of a print carriage on which the print head is mounted, so as to accommodate a distance between a point where print degradation due to speed non-uniformities are noticeable to a point where print degradation due to speed non-uniformities are no longer noticeable. The second lateral scan process preferably is a process in which a predetermined margin is inserted into the first lateral scan process.

Abstract: A liquid container for containing printing liquid for supplying to a recording head for an ink jet recording apparatus, the container includes a first chamber containing a negative pressure producing material and having a printing liquid supply port connectable to a recording head for allowing printing liquid to be supplied to the recording head and an air vent for allowing ambient air to enter the container, and a second chamber which provides a printing liquid reservoir for the first chamber and is substantially closed apart from a communication port communicating with the first chamber to allow the printing liquid to flow into the first chamber and to allow air to be introduced into the second chamber from the first chamber. The second chamber comprises a replaceable printing liquid chamber.

Abstract: An ink containing apparatus for containing ink includes a negative pressure producing material; a first container for containing the negative pressure producing material, the first container having an air vent and a supply port for supplying the ink out; a second container for containing ink; a communication part for communication between bottom portions of the first and second containers; and ribs for introducing ambient air adjacent the air vent for introducing air into the communication part.

Abstract: A system for scheduling cleaning of an ink jet print head loaded in an ink jet printer. The system includes receiving real time/date information from an external source, storing the real time/date information in a volatile memory, storing, in a non-volatile memory, a last cleaning time for at least one print head in the ink jet printer, calculating an elapsed time by subtracting the stored real time/date information from the stored last cleaning time, comparing the calculated elapsed time to a predetermined elapsed time, and controlling the at least one print head to perform a cleaning process in the case the calculated elapsed time is greater than the predetermined elapsed time and storing, in the non-volatile memory, a latest last time for cleaning the at least one print head.

Abstract: Printing which accommodates carriage speed non-uniformities by allowing both forward and reverse printing despite the presence of ringing and other overshoot anomalies in carriage printing speed. A determination is made as to whether print data for a current scan and a prior scan overlap in either of two critical zones at lateral extents of the recording medium, where carriage speed ringing and overshoot non-uniformities are most prevalent. If print data for a current scan and a prior scan overlap in either of the two critical zones, the current scan is printed in the same direction as that of the prior scan. On the other hand, if print data for the current scan and the prior scan do not overlap in either of the two critical zones, then printing of the current scan is effected in a direction opposite to that of the prior scan.

Abstract: Printing which accommodates carriage speed non-uniformities by allowing both forward and reverse printing despite the presence of ringing and other overshoot anomalies in carriage printing speed. A determination is made as to whether print data for a current scan and a prior scan overlap in either of two critical zones at lateral extents of the recording medium, where carriage speed ringing and overshoot non-uniformities are most prevalent. If print data for a current scan and a prior scan overlap in either of the two critical zones, the current scan is printed in the same direction as that of the prior scan. On the other hand, if print data for the current scan and the prior scan do not overlap in either of the two critical zones, then printing of the current scan is effected in a direction opposite to that of the prior scan.

Abstract: An ink containing apparatus for containing ink includes a negative pressure producing material; a first container for containing the negative pressure producing material, the first container having an air vent and a supply port for supplying the ink out; a second container for containing ink; a communication part for communication between bottom portions of the first and second containers; and ribs for introducing ambient air adjacent the air vent for introducing air into the communication part.

Abstract: A system to produce print data corresponding to a multi-level value of a pixel includes a first determining step to determine a first amount of low-penetration black ink corresponding to the multi-level value, a second determining step to determine a second amount of high-penetration black ink corresponding to the multi-level value and a printing step to print the pixel using the first amount of low-penetration black ink corresponding to the multi-level value and the second amount of high-penetration black ink corresponding to the multi-level value.

Abstract: A leather coloring process for carrying out coloring on a natural leather, or a natural leather which has been subjected to degreasing. The coloring process is accomplished by ink-jet coloring on at least a partial area of the natural leather.

Abstract: A printer having at least first and second print heads, each with independently controllable print resolution, controllably prints text data with a first resolution and non-text data with a second resolution. Preferably, the printer is comprised by first and second ink jet print heads which eject ink droplets through plural nozzles based on digital data stored in a print buffer. Resolution is controlled by controlling ink droplet size, nozzle ejection sequence, and readout order from the print buffer, all with droplet size, ejection sequence and readout order being controlled independently for each print head. A user interface allows a user to control resolution of text and non-text data independently.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a printing medium comprising a cloth and having a Clark stiffness not lower than 10, but not higher than 400 at least at its ends.

Abstract: A color printer driver binarizes continuous tone color print data stored in raster form and stores the binarized data directly into column form, without the intermediary of storage in horizontal raster form, for printout by a print engine having vertically-arranged print elements.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus ejects droplets of a recording-improvement liquid on a boundary line between two different color portions of an image by using an ink-jet recording head. The ink-jet recording head comprises a group of nozzles for ejecting the recording-improvement liquid which is responsible for precipitating or condensing a coloring substance in the ink. Accordingly, a high-quality image that comprises black-color portion with a high image density without causing any feathering and multiple-color portions without a spread of ink can be obtained.

Abstract: A liquid container for a liquid jet recording apparatus comprises a first chamber containing negative pressure producing material and having a liquid outlet connectable to a liquid jet head to supply liquid from the container to the liquid jet head and an air vent for allowing ambient air into the container, wherein the liquid outlet is provided in a bottom portion of the first chamber. A second chamber communicates with the first chamber by a communication path and is substantially hermetically sealed. A wall extends upwardly from the communication path of the first chamber. An ambient air introducing path is provided for between the wall and the negative pressure producing material extending from a point partly up the wall toward the communication path for introducing ambient air into the second chamber.

Abstract: A wide-width format printer having detachable and replaceable paper feed unit components includes an automatic sheet feeder having a feeding width corresponding to standard width print media, a manual sheet feeder having a feeding width corresponding to standard width print media plus an additional width, paper feed unit for feeding print media fed from either the automatic sheet feeder or the manual sheet feeder through a paper path which passes a print position to a media ejection portion, the paper feed unit comprising at least first and second detachable print roller sections, first and second detachable spur wheel sections, at least two detachable friction wheels and a drive roller, wherein the first detachable print roller section and spur wheel section oppose each other, the second detachable print roller section and spur wheel section oppose each other and wherein the first and second detachable printer roller segments are aligned coaxially and the first and second detachable spur wheel segments are a

Abstract: A wide-width format printer having detachable and replaceable paper feed unit components includes an automatic sheet feeder having a feeding width corresponding to standard width print media, a manual sheet feeder having a feeding width corresponding to standard width print media plus an additional width, paper feed unit for feeding print media fed from either the automatic sheet feeder or the manual sheet feeder through a paper path which passes a print position to a media ejection portion, the paper feed unit comprising at least first and second detachable print roller sections, first and second detachable spur wheel sections, at least two detachable friction wheels and a drive roller, wherein the first detachable print roller section and spur wheel section oppose each other, the second detachable print roller section and spur wheel section oppose each other and wherein the first and second detachable printer roller segments are aligned coaxially and the first and second detachable spur wheel segments are a

Abstract: A recording method ejects ink by thermal energy produced by a heat generating element of a recording head in response to a drive signal. The method includes the step of controlling an amount of ejection of the ink by a temperature control for the recording head including at least heating of the recording head, when a temperature of the recording head is not higher than a predetermined first temperature. The method further includes the steps of controlling the amount of ejection of the ink by changing a waveform of the drive signal for ejecting ink in accordance with the temperature of the recording head when the temperature of the recording head is higher than the first temperature and not higher than a second temperature, and fixing the waveform of the drive signal when the temperature of the recording head is higher than the second temperature.

Abstract: A recording apparatus for performing recording on a recording medium by scanning the medium with a recording device having heads of a plurality of colors has a setting device for setting a color recording mode for recording a color image or a monochromic recording mode for recording a monochromic image, and a drive device having a first recording mode for driving the recording device while reducing a drive load on the recording device and a second recording mode for driving without reducing the drive load.