Abstract: In a print head having a bimorph thin-film piezo actuator, the piezo-electric actuator is arranged on a membrane at a first side of the piezo-electric actuator and a passive layer is arranged on the piezo-electric actuator at a second side of the piezo-electric actuator, wherein the second side is opposite to the first side. The membrane is more compliant, at least in a lateral direction, for contraction than the passive layer. Thus, a bending direction of the actuator is affected. As a consequence, there is no need for a bias voltage on the actuator during a standby state of the print head. Omitting the bias voltage during standby results in an increased lifetime and stability of the actuator assembly.

Abstract: A method is provided for printing a digital document on a plurality of cut sheets arranged in a cut sheet printing sequence order resulting in at least one reader spread in an end product, each cut sheet having a first side and a second side, the at least one reader spread consisting of two neighboring sides, each neighboring side of which is of a different cut sheet of the plurality of cut sheets and is intended to be printed upon by a digital page image of the digital document. The method includes the step of, for each reader spread in an end product, printing each digital page image corresponding to the reader spread on the first side of the corresponding cut sheet or printing each digital page image corresponding to the reader spread on the second side of the corresponding cut sheet. A cut sheet printing system is configured to apply the method.

Abstract: An orifice surface is provided with a coating. A molecule for forming the coating is bonded to the orifice surface through a silicon-carbon bond. The molecule constituting the coating comprises exactly one fluoro-atom. A print head is provided with such orifice surface. In addition, a methods of manufacturing such orifice surface and a method of printing using a print head provided with such orifice surface are disclosed.

Abstract: An ink jet printer having a print head, an ink collector arranged to collect ink that is jetted out from the print head in a non-printing mode, a maintenance unit and a liquid supply system for supplying an operating liquid to the maintenance unit, comprising a recirculation system connecting the ink collector to the liquid supply system for supplying collected ink as the operating liquid to the maintenance unit.

Abstract: The invention relates to a printing system comprising a print job receiving section permitting a user to submit a print job to the printing system, the print job comprising a plurality of print job settings comprising a proof print job setting indicating whether or not the print job needs to be proofed before printing, a control unit for controlling a print job queue for print jobs submitted to the printing system and scheduled to be printed, a user interface configured to display the print job queue, wherein the user interface is configured to display a digital user operable item for a print job in the print job queue, the print job having a proof print job setting indicating that the print job needs to be proofed before printing, and wherein the control unit is configured to schedule a proof print job corresponding to the print job in the print job queue before the print job upon activation of the digital user operable item, and to print the proof print job according to the print job queue.

Abstract: A method of printing on a mixed sequence of media sheets uses a printer with a print head that is adjustable in height relative to a print surface that supports the media sheets. The media sheets differ in their specifications that define an admissible range for the height of the print head. The method includes the steps of retrieving admissible height ranges for a plurality of media sheets that are scheduled for printing, searching for a height value that is contained in the admissible range of all scheduled sheets, if such a height value is found, adjusting the print head to that height value, and if such height value is not found, proceeding to a problem handling routine.

Abstract: The invention pertains to a print media discharge unit, comprising a print media transport path along which in operation a sheet of print media is transported in a transport direction, the print media transport path is defined by a first electrically isolating print media guide and a second electrically isolating print media guide, the print media discharge unit further comprising an electrically grounded electrically conductive discharge element extending through an opening in at least one of said first and second electrically isolating print media guides into the print media transport path, wherein at least one of said first and second electrically isolating print media guide comprise a plurality of guidance ribs aligned substantially in the transport direction at an angle with respect to the transport direction.

Abstract: According to the present invention a sheet handling apparatus is provided which comprises a rotary drum with openings at its peripheral wall. A strip with perforations formed therein spirals circumferentially over an outer surface of the drum in a circumferential spiralling direction, such that a screen is formed over the drum. A suction system controls a flow of air through the perforations thereby to attract sheets towards the drum. The strip is biased by means of a tensioning assembly, which exerts a tensioning force on the strip substantially parallel to the circumferential spiralling direction of the strip.

Abstract: A printer is provided for forming a phase change inkjet image on a print substrate. The printer includes a sheet transport unit for advancing the sheet along a print station. The sheet transport unit includes a sheet support platen, a sheet attraction mechanism and a feed mechanism. The sheet support platen includes a print surface for supporting a contact side of the print substrate. The sheet attraction mechanism is arranged for attracting the print substrate to the print surface. The feed mechanism is arranged for advancing the print substrate in a transport direction over the print surface, wherein the feed mechanism is arranged upstream of the print surface. The print station includes a print head assembly, the print head assembly being arranged for providing ink droplets for forming the phase change inkjet image on a process side of the print substrate, the print substrate being arranged on a print area of the print surface, the process side being opposite to the contact side.

Abstract: A device for redirecting sheets in a sheet transport mechanism, especially sheets of a print medium in a printing system includes a support member, which carries or supports at least one guide member for directing a path of travel of a sheet. The support member is configured to be mounted adjacent a first transport path of a plurality of sheets and such that the support member is movable between a first inoperative position in which the at least one guide member does not impinge upon the first transport path, and a second operative position in which the at least one guide member is introduced into the first transport path to redirect one or more of the sheets to a second, alternative transport path. The device further includes an actuator configured to move the support member between the first and second positions.

Abstract: In a method for limiting a height of a stack of sheets in an output holder of an image reproduction system, the output holder being configured to hold a stack of sheets printed upon by the image reproduction system according to a print job submitted to the image reproduction system, the image reproduction system including a control unit for controlling the receiving and printing of the print job, the method includes receiving a print job at the image reproduction system, the print job comprising image data to be printed and a plurality of print job settings, starting printing the print job by the image reproduction system, and delivering printed sheets of the print job to the output holder.

Abstract: A method for generating a folding instruction for folding a stack of sheets into a document includes the steps of, for each sheet of the stack of sheets, receiving a folding action on the sheet defined by a fold type and an orientation relative to an observer, the fold type selected out of a mountain fold right, a mountain fold left, a mountain fold bottom, a mountain fold top, a valley fold right, a valley fold left, a valley fold bottom and a valley fold top; generating a function which has the folding action and the sheet as input and an ordered list of new sheets with an orientation relative to the observer of each new sheet of the list of new sheets as output; repeatedly applying the previous steps to each sheet of the at least one list of new sheets until the sheets in the last applied previous steps form the document; and generating a folding instruction including a concatenation of the at least one generated function on the stack of sheets, the folding instruction intended to be transmitted to a foldi

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a multi-layer printed circuit board by bonding together a plurality of circuit board layers, each of which includes a substrate and a conductive circuit pattern on at least one surface of the substrate, includes the steps of: coating the surface of the substrate with a continuous layer of conductive material, masking the layer with a resist, etching away a part of the conductive material so as to obtain the circuit pattern with conductive parts separated by gaps, and filling the gaps with an electrically insulating adhesive material to a level that is at least equal to the thickness of the layer of conductive material. The resist is left on the conductive parts and the adhesive material is selected to be chemically compatible with the resist.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a printing apparatus for printing on a print substrate.

Abstract: A method is provided for enhancing a grayscale raster image comprising pixels. The method comprises the steps of composing a second raster image of equal dimensions to said raster image, selecting a target pixel in the second raster image, having a target position, and deriving a grayscale value for the target pixel from a grayscale value of a pixel in said raster image that is in a neighborhood of a pixel on a position corresponding to the target position, thereby dispersing the gray value of a pixel in a predetermined range around its original position and working the second raster image up for a halftoning process without using pixel segmentation.

Abstract: A toner bottle cap has a fixed member and a slide member. The fixed member is stationary relative to a toner bottle and defines a first flow passage. The slide member defines a second flow passage coaxially adjoining the first flow passage in a toner outflow direction and having a peripheral wall in sealing contact with a peripheral wall of the fixed member. The slide member is slideable relative to the fixed member in axial direction of the flow passages. One of the members has a wall part that restricts the cross-section of the flow passage of the one member and defines a toner outflow opening. The other of the members has a stop member projecting axially towards the outflow opening and closes the same when the slide member is in a closed position and opens the outflow opening when the slide member is slid in the toner outflow direction.

Abstract: In a method of scanning an image on an original, an optical sensor including sensor elements for each of a number of basic colors is used to generate pixel values of rows of pixels of the scanned image. The sensor elements are used to generate grey scale pixel values representing different parts of the image. A first sensor element for each of the basic colors is used to generate pixel values of odd pixels of rows on the original, and a second sensor element for each of the basic colors is used to generate pixel values of even pixels of rows of the original. Each color pixel value is generated mainly on the basis of a pixel value of at least one of the first sensor elements and pixel values of at least two of the second sensor elements for adjacent pixels.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a printer for forming a phase change inkjet image. The printer comprises a platen comprising a print surface, an advancing mechanism adapted for moving a print substrate in a transport direction over the print surface and a print station adapted for providing the phase change inkjet image on a first surface of the print substrate in a print area of the print surface. The advancing mechanism comprises a plurality of feed nips, said plurality of feed nips being arranged upstream of the print surface. Each of said plurality of feed nips comprising a feed roller which comprises a main rotational axis, wherein each main rotational axis of said plurality of feed nips is aligned with respect to each other in a second direction, which second direction is substantially perpendicular to the transport direction. The advancing mechanism further comprises a star wheel. Said star wheel is arranged in between two adjacent feed nips in the second direction and faces a support surface.

Abstract: A piezoelectric actuator array comprising a substrate plate (10) with a number of signal leads (14) and at least one common lead (18) formed on at least one surface (12) thereof, and a number of piezoelectric bodies (30, 32) arranged in a row (34) on one surface (12) of the substrate plate and formed by dividing a common piezoelectric block, said piezoelectric bodies comprising a number of active bodies (30) each of which has, on a first side of said row (34), a signal electrode (38) in contact with one of said signal leads (14) and, on an opposite second side of the row, a common electrode (40) in contact with said common lead (18), said substrate plate (10) having at least one connector lead (16) disposed on the first side of the row (34) and electrically connected to the common lead (18) on the second side of the row, wherein said piezoelectric bodies comprise at least one piezoelectric body (32) with a conductive outer surface layer (42) that establishes an electrically conductive path from the connector

Abstract: A suction device is provided for cleaning a nozzle surface of a print head. The suction device comprises a suction surface and a spacer, whereby the spacer is provided with a spacer channel, the spacer channel comprising a spacer opening at an outer surface of the spacer and the spacer channel being operatively coupled to an air flow source. The spacer is configured for positioning the suction surface at a predetermined distance from the nozzle surface for providing a suction gap. The suction device is configured to provide in operation an air flow through the suction gap, along the nozzle surface and into the suction channel. An air flow may be provided through the spacer channel of the spacer in order to clean an area of the nozzle surface of the print head.