Abstract: A substrate guide and tensioning apparatus utilized with a printing system ensures the substrate does not flex or curl during printing to eliminate color mismatch among printed pixels. The printing system includes a scanner, a graphics computer, and a printer. The scanner optically scans an image and reduces it to a series of pixels represented in gray scale. After the scanner finishes converting the image into pixels, the graphics computer converts the gray scale representations of each pixel into a pixel conveying uniform density color information. The graphics computer then outputs the uniform density pixels to a print control system of the printer. The print control system receives the uniform density pixels and controls a printhead to print a reproduction of the image on a substrate suspended within the printer.

Abstract: The present invention is an ink jet printer utilized to enlarge color images. Signals from a scanned image are converted by a color correction computer into control signals representing the density of the individual pixels of that scanned image. The color density signals are used to control the application of ink from ink jet spray nozzles located on a pair of printheads. Thus, the ink jet printer of the present invention reproduces the image on both sides of a translucent substrate to enhance the quality of the viewed image. The present invention is further provided with dual air sources to apply the ink. A first source is pulse width modulated to control the amount of ink sprayed onto the substrate. A second air pressure source is continuously applied to the ink jet spray nozzles to remove the excess ink that accumulates about the nozzles during print operations.

Abstract: The present invention is an ink jet printer utilized to enlarge color images. Signals from a scanned image are converted by a color correction computer into control signals representing the density of the individual pixels of that scanned image. The color density signals are used to control the application of ink from ink jet spray nozzles located on a pair of printheads. Thus, the ink jet printer of the present invention reproduces the image on both sides of a translucent substrate to enhance the quality of the viewed image. The present invention is further provided with dual air sources to apply the ink. A first air source is pulse width modulated to control the amount of ink sprayed onto the substrate. A second air pressure source is continuously applied to the ink jet spray nozzles to remove the excess ink that accumulates about the nozzles during print operations.