Abstract: An apparatus (102) with moveable platen ribs (110,112), is described. The apparatus comprises a platen (108) for supporting print media (106). The platen extends in a plane in which the print media is conveyed to be printed. The apparatus further includes a first set of platen ribs (110) and a second set of platen ribs (112) each mounted on the platen. The second set of platen ribs are moveable approximately perpendicular to the plane.

Abstract: A liquid ejecting device includes: an ejecting section group that includes a plurality of ejecting sections that receive a drive signal and eject a liquid; an ejection state check section that checks a state of a check target ejecting section that is an ejecting section among the plurality of ejecting sections; and a check target designation data management section that manages check target designation data that designates the check target ejecting section, the check target designation data management section including a first data-holding section and a second data-holding section, and having a first management mode in which the check target designation data management section updates data held by the first data-holding section and data held by the second data-holding section, and a second management mode in which the check target designation data management section updates the data held by the second data-holding section without updating the data held by the first data-holding section.

Abstract: A method for monitoring a characteristic of a printed image of a thermal transfer printer. The method comprises providing a ribbon and a substrate at a printing location of the thermal transfer printer. The method further comprises printing an image on the substrate at the printing location by transferring ink from a region of the ribbon in a printing operation, a negative image being formed on the region of ribbon. The method further comprises transporting the region of ribbon, by a ribbon transport system, from the printing location towards an imaging location along a ribbon transport path. The method further comprises when a characteristic of the ribbon transport meets a predetermined criterion, obtaining, by an image capture system, a ribbon image of the negative image. The method further comprises processing said ribbon image to generate data indicative of the characteristic of the printed image.

Abstract: A print medium is conveyed in a first direction and a print head is provided with a reference side nozzle array and a plurality of nonreference side nozzle arrays. A relative position displacement amount between a reference printing position of a reference pattern printed by the reference side nozzle array and a nonreference printing position of each of nonreference patterns printed by each of the nonreference side nozzle arrays is detected. Based on a maximum value of a displacement amount of the reference printing position with respect to each of the nonreference printing positions in a direction opposite to the first direction, a first correction value for correcting displacement of the reference printing position is calculated. With reference to the reference printing position after corrected based on the first correction value, a second correction value for correcting displacement is calculated for each of the nonreference printing positions.

Abstract: A binary array ink jet printhead assembly includes a cavity for containing ink, nozzle orifices in fluid communication with the cavity for passing the ink from the cavity to form droplets, the nozzle orifices extending along a length of the cavity, and an electrode assembly. The electrode assembly includes a front face configured to be disposed generally parallel to a plurality of droplet paths of droplets from the nozzle orifices. A plurality of charge electrodes are disposed on the front face, each charge electrode corresponding to a droplet path and disposed parallel to the droplet path. Circuitry is disposed on the electrode assembly, wherein each electrode is electrically connected to the circuitry. The circuitry is further in electrical connection to a connector for connecting the electrode assembly to a controller for the printhead.

Abstract: A porous layer included in a transfer body for image recording by a heat transfer method has a multiple layer configuration, and porous layers are provided such that when a thickness (mm) of each porous layer from a porous layer P(1) of the plurality of porous layers on a side closest to the surface layer to a porous layer P(n) on a side closest to the substrate is set to t(n) (n?2), and a total thickness of the transfer body is set to T (mm), Expression (1): C×T?t(1)+ . . . +t(n) (here, C=0.4, and T?1) is satisfied.

Abstract: Disclosed are printer vacuum tables, and corresponding systems and methods for their use, in which the printer vacuum tables include multiple zones to apply vacuum, to hold a variety of media types and thicknesses within a given flatness range, to allow high definition printing. The vacuum zones run in the print direction, and each can be controlled for vacuum on and off. In an illustrative embodiment, the vacuum zones include one or more vacuum zones that are fixed with respect to a printer vacuum table surface, and one or more variable vacuum zones that are movable with respect to the printer vacuum table surface. One or more of the vacuum zones can be turned off if the print media does not cover the zone, such as to prevent leakage, and to provide more consistent vacuum hold down, regardless of media size or width.

Abstract: Examples described herein include examples print media handling system including a first media guide assembly comprising a sensor assembly, and a second media guide assembly comprising a retractable pressure plate and disposed opposite the first media guide assembly to guide a print media along a path between the first media guide assembly and second media guide assembly, the pressure plate moveable about an axis perpendicular to the path between an actuated position and a retracted position.

Abstract: A maintenance device has a maintenance unit. The maintenance unit has a blade unit to which a plurality of wiping blades are fixed, a wiper carriage to which the blade unit is attached, and a support frame that supports the wiper carriage. The wiper carriage has a stationary portion with a sliding roller, a movable portion with a positioning roller, and an elastic member. The elastic member elastically supports the movable portion relative to the stationary portion, and elastically contracts, when the maintenance unit is pressed against a plurality of recording heads by a unit ascent-descent mechanism with an excessive pressing force stronger than a predetermined pressing force, by receiving the reaction force of the excessive pressing force.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a carriage mounts a recording head for discharging droplets, and moves in a main scan direction. A guide member slidably guides the carriage. An encoder scale is arranged along the main scan direction. An encoder sensor reads the encoder scale. The carriage includes a head mounting part for mounting the recording head, and a sensor attaching part for attaching the encoder sensor. The sensor attaching part is provided so as to be extended from the head mounting part. The encoder scale is arranged at a location which the encoder sensor can read. A partition member is provided to separate the head mounting part from the sensor attaching part in the carriage. The head mounting part is arranged in a first space, and the sensor attaching part and the encoder scale are arranged in a second space separated from the first apace by the partition member.

Abstract: Provided is a recording head recovery system, which includes a recording head and a wiper. The recording head includes an ink ejection surface provided with an ink ejection region in which ink ejection ports are formed. The recording head is disposed on a wiping direction upstream side of the ink ejection region, and includes a cleaning liquid supply region in which cleaning liquid supply ports for supplying cleaning liquid are formed. A height position of a lower end part of the wiper when passing the cleaning liquid supply region is lower than a height position of the lower end part of the wiper when wiping the ink ejection region.

Abstract: In order to determine the nip between a print head and a printing substrate in an ink printing apparatus, ink droplets of a first and second size are simultaneously fired toward the printing substrate by different nozzles of a nozzle row of the print head given a predetermined feed velocity of the printing substrate, whereby print dots of a first size are generated on the printing substrate in a first two print dot row and print dots of a second size are generated on the printing substrate in a second two print dot row. The clearance of the first two print dot row from the second two print dot row is subsequently measured, and the size of the nip is determined from the measured clearance.

Abstract: A method of operating an electrostatic ink jet printhead, the printhead comprising: one or more ejection tips from which, in use, ink is ejected, the one or more ejection tips defining a tip region; a printhead housing, the printhead housing defining a cavity in which the one or more ejection tips are located; the method comprising the steps of, during a printing operation, passing a vapour into the cavity to reduce evaporation of ink in the tip region.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus includes: a print head having an ejection opening surface on which an ejection opening for ejecting ink is provided; a wiping unit configured to wipe the ejection opening surface; a moving unit configured to move the wiping unit in a first direction; and a treatment liquid holding portion having a holding member for holding a treatment liquid and an applying member for applying the treatment liquid to the wiping unit by coming into contact with the wiping unit, wherein a plurality of treatment liquid holding portions are arranged in a second direction crossing the first direction such that adjacent treatment liquid holding portions are not in contact with each other.

Abstract: A printing apparatus, such as a large-scale ink jet printer, includes two removable, interchangeable dryer modules, which may be operated separately or in series. Each dryer module permits a sheet or web to pass therethrough in a process direction. Each dryer module includes a lamp mount, suitable for holding one or more heating or curing lamps, the lamp mount being slidably disposed within the module for easy access to the lamps. Each dryer module defines a top portion suitable for maintaining an airflow above the lamp mount, and a bottom portion suitable for maintaining an airflow below the lamp mount. A plate having a pattern of openings therein enables an airflow through the lamps.

Abstract: A fluid ejection system includes a fluid ejection die and a controller. The fluid ejection die includes a plurality of nozzles to eject fluid drops and a plurality of strain gauge sensors to sense strain within the fluid ejection die. The controller is to receive the sensed strain from each strain gauge sensor to determine a status of the fluid ejection die.

Abstract: A fluidic die may include an array of fluid actuators, an actuation data register to store actuation data that indicates each fluid actuator to actuate for a set of actuation events, a mask register to store mask data that indicates a set of fluid actuators of the array enabled for actuation for a respective actuation event of the set of actuation events, a pattern select register to store a pattern selection, input mask data generation circuitry to build a set of mask data with subsets of mask data, each of the subsets having a pattern based upon a pattern selection input, and to populate the mask register with the set of mask data, and actuation logic to electrically actuate a subset of the fluid actuators based at least in part on the actuation data register and the mask register for the respective actuation event.

Abstract: A device (100) such as a mobile robot for printing an image on a floor surface (1) is described. According to an exemplary embodiment, the mobile robot comprises a control system (117) and a printing system. The printing system has at least one colorant tank (110, 111, 112) with colorant and at least one spraying arm (201, 202, 203) having multiple nozzle assemblies (211) situated next to one another. The nozzle assemblies (211) each have a valve (212) that can be controlled by the control system and a colorant nozzle (210, 220, 230) by means of which colorant can be applied to the floor surface (1).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes (a) recording heads, (b) an optical detection part that emits light, receives reflected light reflected on a recording medium, and generates a sensor output in correspondence with the reflected light, (c) a medium information acquisition processing part that sets a pattern image formation position where a test pattern image is formed on the recording medium based on reflection characteristics, the reflection characteristics being obtained from the sensor output of the optical detection part, (d) a pattern image formation processing part that forms the test pattern image at the pattern image formation position using the recording heads, (e) a pattern image detection processing part that detects the test pattern image at the pattern image formation position using the optical detection part, generating a detection result, and (f) an image forming condition setting part that sets an image forming condition based on the detection result.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus includes a mounting unit where a recording medium is mountable, a head unit that ejects ink droplets to the recording medium, a planar direction driving unit that drives at least one of the head unit ejecting the ink droplets and the mounting unit to move in a planar direction and that changes a relative positions of the head unit and the mounting unit in the planar direction, and a height direction driving unit that changes a relative positions of the head unit and the mounting unit in a height direction perpendicular to the planar direction. The planar direction driving unit has a moving speed changing mechanism that changes a carriage speed between the head unit and the mounting unit in the planar direction. The height direction driving unit has a distance changing mechanism that changes a distance between the head unit and the mounting unit.