Abstract: In a head substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of nozzles for discharging liquid; a plurality of electrothermal transducers corresponding to the plurality of nozzles; and a plurality of drivers corresponding to the plurality of electrothermal transducers, the substrate has the following configuration. Specifically, it comprises a detection circuit that detects, in a case where one of the plurality of electrothermal transducers is selected, a temperature of the selected transducer to which a first signal is applied to in order to discharge a liquid from a nozzle corresponding to the selected electrothermal transducer, and then a second signal is applied to heat the selected electrothermal transducer.

Abstract: A pulse width modulation technique is disclosed for use in an image forming device such as a laser printer or a photocopier. The technique implements a pacer to synthesize the frequency of a serializer circuit by stretching (or shrinking) pixel pulse train data. The pacer stretches the pixel pulse train data in accord with increment data that is based upon information about the image forming device, such as the number of bits in the pixel pulse train data, the number of bits in print engine pulse train, the target print engine frequency, and the serializer frequency. The technique can be implemented with digital circuits that provide digital test data.

Abstract: A printer includes a recording unit that executes on a recording medium, a recording operation under a sublimation transfer scheme; a conveying unit that using a protrusion roller having protrusions protruding toward an outer periphery and abutting a first surface of the recording medium, conveys the recording medium to a recording position for the recording operation; a pseudo recorded image data producing unit that produces pseudo recorded image data that includes pseudo pixels obtained by correcting a density of each predetermined pixel that is determined corresponding to an arrangement pattern of the protrusions on the protrusion roller and is determined from among pixels to be recorded in a second area that excludes a first area that is in contact with the protrusions, on the first surface of the conveyed recording medium; and a recording control unit that controls the recording unit based on the pseudo recorded image data.

Abstract: A printer includes a thermal head including a line head in which heating elements are arranged in a straight line, a feed device being configured to feed a printing medium in a vertical scanning direction, and a control device being configured to control the feed device and the thermal head, the printer performing printing by forming a print dot by heating on the printing medium. Each iteration of the pulse application cycle is a time period from a main heating starting time to a next main heating starting time. The control device, in a case where the main heating is not performed on a second heating element adjacent in a main scanning direction to a first heating element, is configured to perform printing by using a first mode, in which applying of a first sub-pulse to the second heating element is performed starting from the main heating starting time.

Abstract: A pulsed electric operating current that rises during a pulse duration is generated for operating at least one radiation-emitting semiconductor component. For this purpose, in a method for producing a control device for operating the at least one radiation-emitting semiconductor component, a temporal profile of a thermal impedance representative of the at least one radiation-emitting semiconductor component is determined. A profile of the electric operating current that is to be set is determined depending on the determined temporal profile of the thermal impedance. The control device is furthermore designed such that the profile of the operating current that is to be set is set in each case during the pulse duration.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising an exposure device for exposing an image bearing member to light in accordance with monochromatic image data provided by color separation of inputted multi-color image data to form an electrostatic latent image; a control device for calculating an exposure amount of each pixel of the monochromatic image data to expose the image bearing member with the calculated exposure amount; wherein the control device includes a monochromatic correcting device for calculating a correction amount in accordance with a pixel value of a pixel around a target pixel of the monochromatic image data to correct an exposure amount of the target pixel on the basis of the calculated amount; wherein the control device includes a multi-color correcting device for providing a coefficient for correction of the exposure amount on the basis of the multi-color image data; wherein the monochromatic correcting device controls the exposure amount using the coefficient and the correction amount provided by

Abstract: To provide a thermal printer apparatus and a printing method that can be adapted to different types of thermal paper having different thermal conductivity characteristics, a dot data memory 3 stores dot data for each line in synchronization with line sequential printing and delivers an energizing pulse selectively to a line thermal head 1 via a driving circuit 2. A multiplier 4 counts the number of dots to be printed for each line and multiplies a result of the counting by a heated thermal paper coefficient P1 corresponding to a thermal conductivity characteristic of a thermal paper 42. A heat accumulation counter 5 counts results of the multiplying in an accumulative manner.

Abstract: Thermal history control is performed in a thermal printer in which a single thermal print head prints sequentially on multiple color-forming layers in a single pass. Each pixel-printing interval may be divided into segments, each of which may be used to print a different color. The manner in which the input energy to be provided to each print head element is selected may be varied for each of the segments. Different energy computation functions may be used to compute the energy to be provided to the print head in each of the segments based on the predicted print head element temperature at the beginning of the segment, the color to be printed, and the energy that was supplied when printing other colors during the time period between the beginning of the segment of the current pixel-printing interval and the end of the equivalent segment of the previous pixel-printing interval.

Abstract: To provide a thermal printer apparatus and a printing method that can be adapted to different types of thermal paper having different thermal conductivity characteristics, a dot data memory 3 stores dot data for each line in synchronization with line sequential printing and delivers an energizing pulse selectively to a line thermal head 1 via a driving circuit 2. A multiplier 4 counts the number of dots to be printed for each line and multiplies a result of the counting by a heated thermal paper coefficient P1 corresponding to a thermal conductivity characteristic of a thermal paper 42. A heat accumulation counter 5 counts results of the multiplying in an accumulative manner.

Abstract: High print quality from a thermal printer is maintained while the print speed is decreasing without producing white streaks or uneven print density by controlling the hysteresis coefficient of the thermal print head 35 based on the energizing history of the thermal print head 35 and print speed control factors used for determining print speed, which is the speed at which the paper is advanced while printing.

Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus which is capable of quickly performing measurements required for obtaining a proper image density. The image forming apparatus having a plurality of image forming apparatuses performs an image density adjustment control process by carrying out a maximum density control process at a reference image forming speed, and carrying out a density gradation control process at each of the plurality of image forming speeds. Image forming conditions for carrying out the density gradation control process at speeds other than the reference image forming speed are determined by performing operation on image forming conditions determined by the maximum density control process carried out at the reference image forming speed.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of adjusting a color in a color proof (112) printed with primary colors cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. It is accomplished by: a) combining the cyan bitmap (2), magenta bitmap (4), yellow bitmap (6), and black bitmap (8) into one multi-bit image (202) and b) imaging each of the primary colorants with the multi-bit image (202).

Abstract: A thermal head has heating elements and is movable relative to a printing medium. A pulse application portion applies a drive voltage pulse selectively to the heating elements. A voltage measurement portion measures a head voltage applied to the thermal head. A total-dot counting portion adds a number of dots which are printed from a reference time point, thereby obtaining a total dot count. An adjustment portion adjusts the total dot count based on a predetermined adjustment dot count corresponding to an ambient temperature. A heat-buildup-coefficient storing portion stores a heat buildup coefficient corresponding both to the ambient temperature and to an excess dot count. A pulse-width setting portion sets the width of the drive voltage pulse based on the head voltage and the heat buildup coefficient. A pulse-width correction portion corrects the width of the drive voltage pulse based on the head voltage measured by the voltage measurement portion.

Abstract: A method of controlling a thermal transfer printhead by selectively activating the printhead heater elements at customized pulse widths specifically developed for low temperature printing applications (less than 5° C.). Through the application of specific control signal modulation levels to each of five control signals that are dependent on heater element history control data as well as print speed, the printhead produces good print quality while demonstrating excellent longevity.

Abstract: A small-size color printer which can perform printing while generation of wrinkles is prevented in an ink ribbon to suppress decrease in print quality caused by the wrinkles of the ink ribbon is provided. A status of image data in a print area is determined, and print pulses are also applied to white portions in which energy is not applied in the conventional method. The print pulse has the highest energy in which coloring is not generated. Therefore, distortion caused by the thermal difference in the ink ribbon is reduced in the print area, which allows the decrease in print quality caused by the wrinkles of the ink ribbon to be suppressed.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for a laser printer, wherein a halftone control through laser pulse modulation (PWM) is used in combination with distributed clustered-dot halftone processing which distributes a tone level over four clustered-dots, and the value represented by higher bits of a threshold are used to switch a PWM pulse pattern in a highlight area to a discontinuous pattern, thereby implementing the high density halftone processing, which provides a high highlight tone density and stability, only with a small scale memory and circuit.

Abstract: A direct thermal printer device that can be used in any application using thermal printers. A direct thermal printer creates images on thermally active medium by applying light energy or radiant thermal energy created by a thermal heat source to create the heat necessary for generating an image on the thermal medium. The thermal energy source may be a laser, a high output light source, or a radiant heating element.

Abstract: A method and system for locally processing a predetermined microstructure formed on a substrate without causing undesirable changes in electrical or physical characteristics of the substrate or other structures formed on the substrate are provided. The method includes providing information based on a model of laser pulse interactions with the predetermined microstructure, the substrate and the other structures. At least one characteristic of at least one pulse is determined based on the information. A pulsed laser beam is generated including the at least one pulse. The method further includes irradiating the at least one pulse having the at least one determined characteristic into a spot on the predetermined microstructure. The at least one determined characteristic and other characteristics of the at least one pulse are sufficient to locally process the predetermined microstructure without causing the undesirable changes.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for correcting printing characteristics of a full-line printhead, and producing a high-printing quality printhead at high manufacturing yield, a corrected printhead by this apparatus, and a printer employing this printhead are disclosed. According to this method, an image is printed on a printing medium by using double pulses obtained based on fluctuation of resistance of each printing unit of a printhead, and a reference OD value is determined from an OD value histogram of the printed image. A preheating pulse width is selected, based on OD values of n printed images obtained by changing the preheating pulse width n times and the reference OD value, such that an OD value on each printing element is equal or close to the reference OD value. For example, assuming that the reference value is 0.43, a preheating pulse width on printing element No. 3 is 0.875.mu. sec.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a tape printing apparatus having a cassette receiving bay adapted to receive a cassette which contains an image receiving tape, with a print head and a platen roll being relatively movable into an operative position ready for printing. At least one of the print head and the platen roll is operatively connected to a lid capable of closing the cassette receiving bay such that the print head and the platen roll are in their inoperative positions when the lid is open. In order to prevent the undesired effect of deformation of the platen roll when no cassette is inserted, it is proposed providing means for detecting the presence of a cassette in the cassette receiving bay, said means preventing the print head and the platen roll from being moved into their operative positions in the absence of a cassette in the cassette receiving bay.

Abstract: A plurality of shift register groups 13a-13d each consisting of a plurality of registers are provided to store a next one of printing data, a current one of the printing data, a predetermined number of previous ones of the printing data and a predetermined number of previous ones of the printing data for an adjacent heating dot. A plurality of pattern discerning circuits 14a-14d are also provided to consecutively discern history patterns of respective heating dots and output corresponding driving data, so that the printing energy for a heating dot is made smaller when its next one of the printing data stored in the shift register group 13a-13d is "0" than when the next one of the printing data is "1".

Abstract: In the disclosed thermal gradation printing apparatus, heat elements in a line-type thermal head are divided into a plurality of groups, and an accumulated heat amount in the substrate of the thermal head for each group is estimated based on the pulse width data applied to each heat element considering the influences by heat accumulations in the main-scanning direction and in the sub-scanning direction. Based on the group division estimated accumulated heat amounts and the temperature of the body portion of the thermal head, a correction value for the pulse width data to be applied to each heat element. Moreover, the correction value is applied to the pulse width data for each heat element, so as to output the corrected pulse width data to the thermal head.

Abstract: In the disclosed thermal gradation printing apparatus, heat elements in a line-type thermal head are divided into a plurality of groups, and an accumulated heat amount in the substrate of the thermal head for each group is estimated based on the pulse width data applied to each heat element considering the influences by heat accumulations in the main-scanning direction and in the sub-scanning direction. Based on the group division estimated accumulated heat amounts and the temperature of the body portion of the thermal head, a correction value for the pulse width data to be applied to each heat element. Moreover, the correction value is applied to the pulse width data for each heat element, so as to output the corrected pulse width data to the thermal head.

Abstract: A compact thermal line printer includes a guiding portion that releases a thermal line printing head from contact with a platen roller responsive to opening of a cover member. The edges of the cover member are recessed to form paper insert and discharge slots when the cover member is closed. The guiding portion is arranged to hold the cover member open when the cover member opens past a predetermined point.