Abstract: Replacement of a recording head on a recording apparatus is detected on the basis of a serial number allocated to each recording head. The recording head also carries head characteristic information such as color information, shading information and so forth. When the recording head is replaced with a new one, the head characteristic information of the newly mounted recording head is automatically stored, so that head driving conditions are automatically determined to optimize the recording conditions without requiring any manual adjustment. Recovery operation is automatically executed when replacement of the recording head is detected, so that required recording conditions are recovered without manual instructions.

Abstract: An ink which includes a first pigment, a second pigment, a polymer dispersant and an aqueous medium; wherein the first pigment is a self-dispersing pigment having on its surface at least one anionic group bonded to the surface directly or via an atomic group, the second pigment is dispersed in the aqueous medium by the polymer dispersant, and the polymer dispersant contains benzylmethacrylate as a monomer unit. Diffusion of this ink in the printing medium is suppressed in the cross-sectional direction but not horizontal direction. Thus, the ink can form an ink dot that has a proper dot size, uniform and high density in the dot, with little feathering or blur.

Abstract: An image correcting method for an ink jet recording apparatus for recording an image by ejecting ink onto a recording material using a recording head having an array of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting the ink, the method includes the steps of an outputting step of outputting at least two kinds of uniform patterns for detection of a recording property of a recording head; a measuring step of measuring a density distribution of the patterns outputted by the outputting step; a calculation step of calculating, for each of the kinds of patterns, data for correction for respective one of the plurality of nozzles on the basis of a result of the measuring step: an image correcting step of comparing data corresponding to the at least two kinds of patterns, classifying states of the plurality of nozzles, and correcting images corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of nozzles, wherein the correcting step effects correction processes which are different from depending on the classification.

Abstract: In an image area printed by a nozzle group including a defective nozzle, pixels printed by the defective nozzle and part of pixels located in the vicinity of the same are printed by another nozzle group. As a result, since printing is performed not only at the pixels printed by the defective nozzle but also at the pixels in the neighborhood thereof simultaneously by separate nozzles, irregularities of printing attributable to interpolation are distributed even when there is a relative misalignment between the nozzle groups. It is therefore possible to obtain a preferable image without any increase in output time even when a printing head including a defective nozzle is used.

Abstract: An ink for use in ink jet recording which contains a dye and a pigment as colorants.

Abstract: A recording method includes a step of ejecting onto a recording material ink having a Ka value of not more than 3 (ml.m−2.msec−1/2), applying to the ink deposited on the recording material processing liquid having a Ka value of not less than 5 (ml.m−2.msec−1/2) to insolubilized a coloring material in the ink inside the recording material; wherein the processing liquid is applied to the ink after rapid swell start point to after penetration of the ink into the medium passes after the ink is deposited on the recording material.

Abstract: Upon performing printing using a dye ink and a pigment ink and in addition a treatment liquid making those inks insoluble, two kinds of inks consisted of the pigment ink and the dye ink are used. After applying the pigment ink on a printing medium, the dye ink is applied overlaying with the pigment ink. After mixing these inks on the printing medium, the treatment liquid which makes the inks insoluble, is applied. In the alternative, a mixed ink in which a pigment ink not requiring a dispersant and the dye, is used. After application of this mixed ink on the printing medium, the treatment liquid which makes the ink insoluble, is applied. Therefore, problem of “crack”, “soaking out”, “overflow” or lowering of OD value which can be caused upon reaction of the pigment ink and the dye ink or the mixed ink with the treatment liquid, can be solved to achieve high quality printing.

Abstract: An ink jet printing method and apparatus using a color ink and a print performance improving ink which minimizes an image quality degradation due to blank lines formed by failed or faulty nozzles. This system enables the use of a print head even with failed or faulty nozzles by minimizing the image quality degradation and extends the life of the print head before replacement. The print performance improving ink is deliberately ejected onto a blank line or its vicinity to produce the so-called primer effect, thereby inducing the color ink dots on the lines adjoining the non-ejecting nozzle line to spread into the blank line to make the blank line undistinguishable.

Abstract: The invention provides an ink jet printing apparatus which can prevent unwanted visible bands or stripes from appearing in a printed image. For this purpose, this invention performs a nozzle information generation step for generating nozzle information representing an ejection characteristic of each nozzle, according to a landing state on a print medium of an ink droplet ejected from each nozzle of the print head; an estimation step for estimating, based on the generated nozzle information and the print data, an effect that the ink droplet ejected from each nozzle has on the image to be formed; a correction information generation step for generating correction information to correct an ink ejection condition of each nozzle according to a result of estimation by the estimation step; and a control step for controlling a driving of the nozzles according to the correction information.

Abstract: The temperature of a recording head used for recording is adjusted by heating a recording head that is not used for recording and utilizing the effect of heat conduction. The adoption of such a configuration makes it possible to adjust the temperature of recording head during recording by the use of a relatively simple temperature control circuit. Further, since temperature adjustment can be continuously and efficiently conducted, a good premium discharge condition can be achieved, and the speed of recording can be increased by reducing the number of recovery operations such as preliminary ejection.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus is adapted to eject ink from an ink-jet head onto a recording medium held in position by means of an electrostatic adsorption system. The surface resistance of the recording medium is not greater than 1×1011 &OHgr;/□.

Abstract: A recording apparatus wherein a recording head which has been mounted can be identified more precisely by measuring characteristics of the recording head to obtain information for defining a drive condition of the head and storing the characteristics as ID information of the recording head.

Abstract: An ink jet recording method using a recording device including a recording head provided with an ejection outlet for ejecting ink and heating means for heating at least a part of a recording material; the method includes a recording step of recording by ejecting ink to a predetermined region on a recording material, using a recording head; a heating step of heating said region by heating means; and wherein the ink has an ink absorption coefficient Ka (ml.m−2.msec−½) relative to a plain paper, defined by Bristow method, is 1.0-5.0 and satisfies 0<ts≦200 msec where ts is a rapid expansion start point.

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: Replacement of a recording head on a recording apparatus is detected on the basis of a serial number allocated to each recording head. The recording head also carries head characteristic information such as color information, shading information and so forth. When the recording head is replaced with a new one, the head characteristic information of the newly mounted recording head is automatically stored, so that head driving conditions are automatically determined to optimize the recording conditions without requiring any manual adjustment. Recovery operation is automatically executed when replacement of the recording head is detected, so that required recording conditions are recovered without manual instructions.

Abstract: A region to be covered by a cover plate (208) on an ejection opening forming surface (205) of an ink-jet head or an ink-jet head to which the cover plate (208) is installed are determined, on a basis of content of a rebounding mist generated upon ejection of an ink and a processing liquid in overlaying fashion. By this, in the ink-jet printing apparatus performing printing by ejecting the ink and the processing liquid for making the ink insoluble, deposition of the insoluble substance contained in the rebounding mist generated upon ejection of an ink and a processing liquid in overlaying fashion can be successfully prevented.

Abstract: Upon performing printing using a dye ink and a pigment ink and in addition a treatment liquid making those inks insoluble, two kinds of inks consisted of the pigment ink and the dye ink are used. After applying the pigment ink on a printing medium, the dye ink is applied overlaying with the pigment ink. After mixing these inks on the printing medium, the treatment liquid which makes the inks insoluble, is applied. In the alternative, a mixed ink in which a pigment ink not requiring a dispersant and the dye, is used. After application of this mixed ink on the printing medium, the treatment liquid which makes the ink insoluble, is applied. Therefore, problem of “crack”, “soaking out”, “overflow” or lowering of OD value which can be caused upon reaction of the pigment ink and the dye ink or the mixed ink with the treatment liquid, can be solved to achieve high quality printing.

Abstract: High quality images showing an excellent fixation are formed by an ink-jet recording method using pigment inks. An ink set for the ink jet-recording method comprises a first ink containing an anionic dye in an aqueous medium, a second ink containing an anionic dye and having a lower coloring material content than the first ink and a dispersion destabilizing substance, and a third ink containing a self-dispersible first pigment, a second pigment and a polymeric dispersant for dispersing the second pigment in an aqueous medium. The dispersion destabilizing substance destabilizes the dispersion stability of at least either the first pigment or the second pigment in the third ink when the second ink and the third ink are brought into contact with each other. The second ink and the third ink are applied onto a printing medium one after another or substantially simultaneously so that they are brought into contact with each other in a liquid state on the printing medium.

Abstract: A printing apparatus which uses a printing medium, which can retain a large amount of coloring material near its surface and can cause ink solvent to permeate rapidly, and can perform printing in a printing mode that is suitable for the above-mentioned printing medium, is provided. Furthermore, a user friendly printing apparatus is realized. More specifically, the printing mode for the above-mentioned printing medium is a mode that uses less ink ejection per one pixel. Even in this case, high speed printing based on printing of sufficient density and high ink absorption become possible. Furthermore, even in the case printing is made on ordinary paper, a lesser ink ejection amount in the same printing mode is performed, but since this printing mode uses processing liquid that makes the ink insoluble, in a similar way, printing of sufficient density and high speed printing becomes possible.

Abstract: An image correcting method for an ink jet recording apparatus for recording an image by ejecting ink onto a recording material using a recording head having an array of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting the ink, the method includes the steps of an outputting step of outputting at least two kinds of uniform patterns for detection of a recording property of a recording head; a measuring step of measuring a density distribution of the patterns outputted by the outputting step; a calculation step of calculating, for each of the kinds of patterns, data for correction for respective one of the plurality of nozzles on the basis of a result of the measuring step: an image correcting step of comparing data corresponding to the at least two kinds of patterns, classifying states of the plurality of nozzles, and correcting images corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of nozzles, wherein the correcting step effects correction processes which are different from depending on the classification.