Abstract: A media sheet drive has a continuous belt of a dielectric material for transporting sheet media supported on the belt in a transport direction. A launch mechanism is used to launch a sheet medium onto a top surface of the belt. A charging circuit including a charging roller is used to charge a top surface of the sheet medium and the belt as the sheet medium is launched. Charging acts to generate an electrostatic tacking force to tack the sheet medium to the belt. The charging roller has a second function to smooth out curled edges of paper as it is acted on by the charging circuit so that the full extent of a launched sheet medium may be subject to the electrostatic tacking force.

Abstract: A media sheet drive has a continuous belt of a dielectric material for transporting sheet media supported on the belt in a transport direction. A launch mechanism is used to launch a sheet medium onto a top surface of the belt. A charging circuit including a charging head is used to charge a top surface of the sheet medium and the belt as the sheet medium is launched. Charging acts to generate an electrostatic tacking force to tack the sheet medium to the belt. To prevent high electric field near the belt top surface which might otherwise affect the printing process, a neutralizing circuit is positioned downstream of the charging circuit to reduce electric field near the top of the belt by balancing charge at the top and bottom of the belt while keeping the sheet medium tacked to the belt.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for selectable duplex and simplex printing of sheet or web media has a selection mechanism for switching between the printing modes. The selection mechanism includes guides which determine whether a medium follows a long transport path or a short transport path between an input zone and an output zone. In the first transport path, the medium is transported past a first inkjet printhead for printing onto a surface of the medium. In the second transport path, the medium is transported past a second inkjet printhead for printing onto one surface of the medium, then turned and transported past the first inkjet printhead for printing onto the other surface of the medium.

Abstract: In a method for introducing an authentication print characteristic in a visible image printed on paper, a part of the image is printed with an ink having first and second component dyes. The first component is less fast than the second component in response to an applied activator. The first component is normally masked by the second component but applying an activator stimulates a bleed of the first component beyond the area of the image part to create a predetermined unmasked area of the fluorescent component. The invention extends to paper on which the authentication print characteristic has been printed and to a method of detecting a forged image by analyzing paper to detect such an image bleed.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for duplex inkjet printing on a web medium, a web medium is guided along an S-form transport path having generally horizontal top, middle and bottom spans and two turns linking the spans. One inkjet printhead is located to print onto a one surface of the web at the middle span and another inkjet printhead is located to print onto the opposite surface of the web at one of the other spans. To protect the printed surfaces before they are dried at least one of the turns in the S-form path is effected using an air bar to hold the printed web surfaces away from hard equipment surfaces.

Abstract: A printing apparatus has a print head and a transport mechanism including a continuous transparent belt for transporting a sheet medium past a print head. The apparatus includes a through optical sensor operable to direct a sensing beam through the belt for sensing the position of the transported sheet medium when the sheet medium breaks the beam.

Abstract: An ink delivery system for an inkjet printer has an ink supply tank and a pair of printheads located at different heights. A primary ink delivery circuit delivers ink to a pair of intermediate tanks, each tank maintained a precise distance below a respective one of the printheads. Ink is pumped to the higher tank to the level of a weir and overflowing ink flows under gravity to the lower tank. The overflowing ink fills the lower tank to the level of a weir and overflowing ink returns to the supply tank. Secondary ink delivery circuits have capillary lines for supply of ink from each of the intermediate tanks to the respective printhead. Ink is maintained in the supply lines ready for inkjet printing by establishing a negative pressure between each intermediate tank and the respective printhead.

Abstract: Inkjet printing apparatus has a printhead mounted on a printer carriage and a maintenance assembly mounted on a maintenance carriage. Media are transported to the printhead for printing. To prepare for maintenance operations, a printer drive unit drives the printhead carriage between a printing position and a printer parked position where it is spaced from the printhead. A maintenance drive unit drives the maintenance assembly between a maintenance assembly and a position next to the printhead where it occupies the space vacated by the printhead.

Abstract: A printing apparatus has a series of inkjet print heads spaced from one another in a transport direction. A continuous belt driven around a roller system is used to feed sheet media successively to the print heads so that a partial image printed by one print head is overprinted at a subsequent print head with registration of the partial images. A sheet medium is caused to become electrostatically tacked to the belt by passing the sheet past a charging device. Movement of the belt is tracked by a tracking sub-system and operation of the print heads is coordinated with the tracked belt movement to achieve precise registration of the partial images.

Abstract: Inkjet printing apparatus has a printhead mounted on a printer carriage and a maintenance assembly mounted on a maintenance carriage. Media are transported to the printhead for printing. To prepare for maintenance operations, a printer drive unit drives the printhead carriage between a printing position and a printer parked position where it is spaced from the printhead. A maintenance drive unit drives the maintenance assembly between a maintenance assembly and a position next to the printhead where it occupies the space vacated by the printhead.

Abstract: A sheet medium transport apparatus has a sheet guide mechanism with drive rollers and reaction rollers mounted for gripping a sheet guided by the guide mechanism. The drive rollers provide a drive component in a transport direction and a transverse drive component for driving a sheet so that a side edge of the transported sheet lodges against a registration plate. Once the sheet is registered against the registration plate, drive from the drive rollers causes the sheet edge to slide past the registration plate in the transport direction with the drive rollers sliding over the sheet.

Abstract: Electromagnetically recognizable E13B characters can be printed onto conventional paper by an inkjet printer using liquid magnetic ink. The printer receives data representing an E13B character, and prints the E13B character onto a substrate according to a modified E13B character pattern. The modified E13B pattern provides for an interior of the E13B character to be substantially completely filled, and includes one or more void arrangements arranged and positioned relative to a corresponding internal detection edge, and sized and shaped, to amplify the difference between the upstream magnetic signal detected on the upstream side of the internal detection edge and the downstream magnetic signal detected on the downstream side of the internal detection edge when an electromagnetic read head reads the resulting printed E13B character.