Abstract: An ink supply assembly includes at least one inlet port. At least one outlet port is connected to the inlet port via an ink cavity and is adapted to be connected to an ink discharge unit of an ink jet device. The ink supply assembly has a sandwich structure formed by at least two plate members and a foil that is interposed therebetween and has a part forming a wall of said ink cavity. At least one of the plate members defines a pressure equalization chamber adjacent to the ink cavity and separated therefrom by the foil.

Abstract: A folding method includes feeding a sheet to be folded to a folding unit, folding the sheet repeatedly by the folding unit, thereby creating a folded package, and discharging at least a part of the folded package from the folding unit. While at least a part of the folded package is discharged from the folding unit in the step of discharging, a part of the sheet is held back. The method includes unfolding at least one fold of the folded package. A folding apparatus is provided for carrying out the method.

Abstract: A method compresses a digital continuous tone image of pixels situated on scan lines. The method includes the steps of, for a current pixel to be encoded, said current pixel having an actual pixel value, predicting a predicted pixel value based on pixel values of at least one previously processed pixel from the same image, using a fixed rule, determining a difference parameter based on a difference value of said predicted pixel value and the actual pixel value of said current pixel to be encoded, and inspecting the difference parameter for existence of an uninterrupted series of highest order bits having a value equal to zero, removing at least part of said highest order zero bits, and, if a number of bits within predetermined limits remains, generating a compression code having a predetermined fixed length, said code indicating the number of remaining bits.

Abstract: An image scanning and processing system includes a scanner for generating a stream of data encoding a scanned image; a controller for controlling and processing data received from the scanner; and a file storage unit. In use, the stream of data is written to a master file saved in the file storage unit. The controller is configured to create a preview image with a lower data size than the scanned image from at least part of the data encoding the scanned image. The controller is configured to extract data encoding the preview image directly from the stream of data, and to write the extracted data to a thumbnail file. A method of scanning and processing an image, includes scanning an original and thereby generating a stream of data, encoding a scanned image, saving the scanned image in a master file, and creating a preview image with a lower data size than the scanned image from at least part of the data encoding the scanned image.

Abstract: In a method for detecting an operating state of at least one fluid chamber of an inkjet print head, after having generated a pressure wave in the fluid chamber, a resulting pressure wave in the fluid chamber is detected. A detection signal corresponding to the detected pressure wave is then generated and a state indicator is determined from the detection signal using a wavelet window, the state indicator being suitable for deriving an operating state of the fluid chamber. This method enables reliable state detection. In an embodiment, it is enabled to perform the state detection between subsequent droplet ejections, thereby obtaining a highly reliable inkjet process.

Abstract: A method selects a folding program for a job to be carried out on a folding system, the job being provided with a job specification. The method includes calculating a fold program and an associated fold configuration based on the job specification, resulting in a set of configuration properties. The method further includes evaluating the fold program to check whether the associated fold configuration properties satisfy a set of configuration conditions. A folding system for folding a job, a printer driver, a computer program and a computer-readable medium for carrying out the method are also included.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a piezoelectric ink jet device having a pressure chamber, a flexible membrane delimiting the pressure chamber, a piezoelectric actuator mounted on the membrane, and a rigid substrate attached to the side of the membrane carrying the actuator, which includes the steps of providing the piezoelectric actuator with an electrode on at least one side, attaching the actuator with its electrode side to a carrier plate, bonding the rigid substrate to the side of the carrier plate carrying the actuator, and removing material from the carrier plate on the side opposite to the actuator and leaving only a thin layer of the carrier plate which then forms the membrane.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer software for automatically analysing a filled in questionnaire, are provided. The method includes automatically analysing a filled in questionnaire, the method comprising the steps of: providing a questionnaire having answer locations; scanning at least two copies of the questionnaire with the answer locations filled in differently and complementarily in a predetermined way, to produce a first scan and a second scan; automatically determining answer locations by comparing the first and second scans; providing a filled in questionnaire having certain answers; scanning the provided filled in questionnaire as a third scan; and automatically judging the certain answers with the determined answer locations.

Abstract: A method of controlling document processing in a networked system and a digital image reproduction device for document processing are described. The system has workstations for submitting processing jobs of a user, and a memory unit that manages the jobs that are waiting to be executed. The method includes providing, at a user interface of the digital image reproduction device, control elements for a user to select a processing job from the processing jobs in a logical storage space; and executing the selected processing job. Kickstart processing jobs are selected, based on predetermined kickstart criteria, from the processing jobs in the memory unit, and a corresponding set of kickstart control elements is provided at the user interface, each coupled to a respective one of the selected kickstart processing jobs. When a kickstart control element is activated by a user, the associated kickstart processing job is directly initiated.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing an ink jet print head that includes a number of aligned modules, an alignment mark is foamed on a first and a second adjacent module, wherein the alignment mark is positioned on a boundary between the first and the second adjacent module along which the wafer is to be separated. In a separating step the wafer is separated into separate modules such that the alignment mark is divided over said first and second adjacent module. At least one of said first and second module is aligned by reference to the divided alignment mark The method improves the accuracy, with which the modules can be aligned.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for cleaning an image carrier that is used for transferring a toner image onto a recording medium which includes a black image step in which a black image, i.e., an image of the entire area which is filled with toner, is formed on the image carrier and is transferred onto a cleaner that engages the image carrier for removing dust therefrom, wherein, prior to the black image step, a black page step is carried out in which a black page is printed by transferring a black image from the image carrier onto the recording medium.

Abstract: A method for geometrically calibrating a transport or feed through a scanner apparatus, arranged for scanning a two-dimensional original for subsequent usage in an appropriate information handling system, wherein a test original is presented which has been provided with an image for the purpose of deriving a scanned image therefrom. The method uses the test original provided with a test image featuring a leading image edge and a trailing image edge at a predetermined and known parallel displacement with respect to each other, and automatically detects therefrom a calculated first correction value for the zoom factor in the transport direction or transport speed, a calculated second correction value for the leading edge position, and a calculated third correction value for the trailing edge position. Thereupon, the first, second and third correction values are updated in the scanner apparatus in accordance with the measured values therefor.

Abstract: An image reproduction device for document processing has a nominal processing speed at which it can process sheets continuously at a nominal document quality. However, the image reproduction device is arranged to process sheets at a continuously variable processing speed including the nominal processing speed. The actual processing speed is selected in dependence on operational conditions. In particular, the device is arranged to gradually adjust the processing speed from one processing speed to another processing speed. A control structure is given to select the variable processing speed in dependence on operational conditions, and to operate the image reproduction device at the selected processing speed. In a particular application of the variable speed, a print job may be started at an increased processing speed and then gradually fall back to the nominal speed, giving a fast start and a shorter processing time for short print jobs.

Abstract: For aligning two or more image elements on separate pages, a position of a common part of the image elements is determined relative to a predetermined reference position. The image elements are then shifted with respect to the reference positions such that each image element has substantially the same position relative to the reference position. The reference position may be determined relative to a page on which the image elements are to be printed. Contents of the image elements can be displayed superposed to enable a user to consider alignment and/or determine whether a common image part is present.

Abstract: In a method of producing a tiled print product, the print product is composed of a plurality of print substrates that are printed separately and are disposed adjacent to one another in at least one row. Each substrate is printed by means of a print process that creates a gloss gradient in a characteristic direction of production that is parallel to the row. The characteristic direction of production is inverted for every second substrate in the row.

Abstract: An imaging system for processing a media includes a media transport path, an imaging station, a displacement device that controllably displaces the media along the media transport path relative to the imaging station, and a controller assembly. The controller assembly includes a feedback filter, a feedforward filter, a low-pass filter and a memory that stores and time delayed releases control data. During operation, the displacement device is actuated in response to an actuation command generated by the controller assembly. The actuation command has a feedback component based on a filtering by the feedback filter of an error signal including information about the position error between a desired and an actual position of the media and a feedforward component based on a time delayed, low-pass filtered, frequency dependent filtering of the error signal by the feedforward filter. The feedforward filter is configured such that the closed-loop controlled characteristics of the displacement device are compensated.

Abstract: A method of creating an image on a recording medium including a support having thereon a porous fusible layer, using an ink composition that is solid at room temperature and liquid at elevated temperature including the steps of generating droplets of the ink composition with an ink jet print head, transferring the droplets of the ink composition to the surface of the fusible layer, thermally treating the recording medium such that the ink transferred to fusible layer passes into the medium away from the surface of the fusible layer while the fusible layer remains substantially unfused, and when the ink has passed into the medium, treating the recording medium to fuse the fusible layer to become a protective overcoat. The present invention also pertains to a system for creating an image on a recording medium.

Abstract: A magnet knife assembly for a toner developing device including a ferromagnetic strip held between like poles (N) of two permanent magnets such that a knife edge portion of the strip projects outwardly beyond the two magnets and is subject to a magnet force that tends to urge the strip in a direction in which the knife edge projects further out of the magnets, wherein the length of the strip is selected such that a portion of the strip opposite to the knife edge is subject to a magnetic force that at least counterbalances said magnetic force on the knife edge portion.

Abstract: A method for dispatching a job for printing an original document from an original document set to a printer. The method includes routing the job to a printer group based on the characteristics of the original document via a dispatcher. When exactly one printer group has all capabilities required by the job, the job is routed to the one printer group. When more than one printer group has all capabilities required by the job, the dispatcher routes the job to a printer group that requires the shortest estimated time to complete the job. When no printer group has all capabilities required by the job, the dispatcher notifies a user via the operating screen for manual treatment of the job.

Abstract: A method of generating transfer functions to be applied to the input data of an image to be printed by a printing apparatus using a group of colorants, each colorant being assigned to the rendering of a distinct color channel, includes determining a maximum total area coverage and measuring the tonal response of each colorant. The method further includes setting a maximum individual area coverage for each colorant such that the optical density at the maximum individual area coverage is substantially the same for each colorant and the sum of the maximum individual area coverage values is substantially equal to the maximum total area coverage and generating a transfer function for each color channel based on the set maximum individual area coverage for the assigned colorant. An apparatus and a computer program product are provided to generate such transfer functions.