Abstract: There is provided an ink-jet printer comprising: a recording head, an electric power supply, and a controller which is configured: to determine an ink amount in which an ink is jetted by the recording head in a flushing processing; in a case that the determined ink amount is less than a first ink amount, to boost a driving voltage of the electric power supply to a target voltage value, in accordance with a predetermined first voltage boosting pattern; and in a case that the determined ink amount is not less than the first ink amount, to boost the driving voltage to the target voltage value, in accordance with a predetermined second voltage boosting pattern in which a voltage boosting time is shorter than that in the first voltage boosting pattern. Accordingly, it is possible to shorten FPOT while reducing the load on the constitutive elements of the ink-jet printer.

Abstract: In one example, a container includes expandable and contractible air free interior volumes joined by a passage through which liquid may pass from one volume to another volume, an inlet different from the passage through which liquid may enter into one of the volumes, and an outlet different from the passage through which liquid may leave another of the volumes.

Abstract: An inkjet nozzle includes an aperture with a noncircular opening substantially defined by a polynomial equation. A droplet generator is also described which includes a firing chamber fluidically coupled to a fluid reservoir a heating resistor and a nozzle. The nozzle includes an aperture forming a passage from the firing chamber to the exterior of the droplet generator through a top hat layer. The nozzle is defined by a closed polynomial and has a mathematically smooth and mathematically continuous shape around aperture's perimeter wall, with two protrusions extending into the center of the aperture.

Abstract: A liquid holding amount of a porous body of a liquid absorbing member for removing at least a portion of an aqueous liquid component from an image obtained by ink jet printing is controlled so as to reduce damage to the porous body while maintaining performance of removing attached matters from the porous body by using a cleaning member which abuts on the porous body and has an adhesive force.

Abstract: There is provided an ink jet printing method including: an image forming process of applying ink onto an image forming surface of a transfer body to form a first intermediate image; an auxiliary liquid applying process of applying an auxiliary liquid containing a thermoplastic resin onto the first intermediate image on the transfer body to form a second intermediate image; and a transferring process of contacting the second intermediate image on the transfer body with a printing medium and separating the second intermediate image from the transfer body while maintaining a contact state with the printing medium to transfer the second intermediate image to the printing medium, wherein in the auxiliary liquid applying process, an area difference between an area of a first intermediate image and an area of an auxiliary liquid application area in the image forming surface is adjusted.

Abstract: A printer includes: a platen having an ink-collection slot extending across its width; a wick bar received in the ink-collection slot, wherein an upstream gap and a downstream gap are defined at either side of the wick bar relative to a media feed direction; a printhead positioned over the wick bar; and a vacuum chamber in fluid communication with the ink-collection slot. The wick bar has a wick surface sloped upwards from the upstream gap towards the downstream gap.

Abstract: In one example a method is disclosed for printing duplex images. The method includes printing an image on side A of media, including an alignment mark. Detecting the alignment mark with a sensor. The velocity of the media is determined when the alignment mark is detected. Printing an image on side B of the media where the location of the image on side B is dependent on the velocity of the media. In another example a printer is disclosed that uses the method to print duplex images.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for printing and drying inks on substrates. Printing systems may include a metering device positioned between a printing station and a light source. During operation, the printing station deposits ink onto a substrate to define a printed region. And the light source directs infrared light onto the substrate to define an illumination zone. The printed region is advanced from the printing station to the metering device and from the metering device through the illumination zone, wherein the ink is dried with infrared light traveling from the light source, which also heats the substrate and changes the modulus of elasticity of the substrate. In turn, the metering device isolates the printing station from the change in the modulus of elasticity to help reduce phase shifts caused by changes in the modulus of elasticity resulting from heat in the substrate.

Abstract: A drying device H is provided with: a heating roller part 10 that guides a printed object X and is capable of heating the rear surface of the printed object X; a hot air blowing part 11 for blowing hot air to the printed surface of the printed object X; a chamber 15 in which the heating roller part 10 and the hot air blowing part 11 are housed; a first plate frame 1 and a second plate frame 2 that are installed on two sides of the chamber 15; a supply-use air blower D1 for supplying air to the hot air blowing part 11; an exhaust-use air blower D2 for exhausting air inside the chamber 15; and a stage 5 on which the supply-use air blower D1 and the exhaust-use air blower D2 are mounted.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to control apparatus and methods of a printing system, for example, comprising an intermediate transfer member (ITM) and to user-related features of a printing system. Some embodiments relate to regulation of a velocity and/or tension and/or length of the ITM. Some embodiments relate to regulation of deposition of ink on the moving ITM. Some embodiments regulate to apparatus configured to alert a user of one or more events related to operation of the ITM. Some embodiments relate to a time-line GUI for visualizing and/or manipulating queued print jobs which may be employed. Some embodiments relate to a reversed augmented reality GUI for visualization and/or control of the printing system. In some embodiments, a display screen is mounted to a printer housing and/or able to control access to moving parts of a printing system.

Abstract: An aqueous ink according to the present invention is an aqueous ink for ink jet, containing a solvent A and a resin particle. The solvent A is alcohol of which aqueous solubility at 20° C. is 5% by mass or less, a vapor pressure at 20° C. is 0.5 mmHg or less and a surface tension at 20° C. is 30 mN/m or more. A content (% by mass) of the solvent A is 0.7 times or more to 7.0 times or less in terms of a ratio based on aqueous solubility (% by mass) of the solvent A at 20° C. The amount of a surface anionic functional group of the resin particle is 0.55 mmol/g or more to 2.00 mmol/g or less.

Abstract: There is provided a liquid cartridge configured to be inserted into a cartridge-attachment section in an insertion direction crossing a gravitational direction and accommodated in the cartridge-attachment section in an upright posture. The liquid cartridge includes a casing, a movable member movably supported by the casing, and a circuit board provided at the movable member and facing upward in the upright posture. The movable member includes a receiving portion providing a receiving space that is open in the insertion direction and in a widthwise direction orthogonal to the insertion direction and the gravitational direction for receiving a protruding portion of the cartridge-attachment section in the insertion direction and in the widthwise direction. The receiving portion has a contact surface defining the receiving space and facing downward.

Abstract: A fluid containing member includes a first containing chamber that contains a first fluid, and a second containing chamber that contains a second fluid. The first containing chamber and the second containing chamber are separated from each other by a first separation film on a side of the first containing chamber and a second separation film on a side of the second containing chamber. The first separation film and the second separation film are partly connected to each other or partly contact each other so as to move together in accordance with a change in an internal pressure of the first containing chamber or an internal pressure of the second containing chamber.

Abstract: An energy recovery circuit in a print head includes at least one waveform rail, an array of piezoelectric actuators selectively electrically connectable to the waveform rail, the piezoelectric actuators creating a capacitive load, at least one pseudo jet capacitive load, selectively coupled to the waveform rail, depending upon how many piezoelectric actuators are connected to the waveform rail, and a first inductor coupled to the waveform rail, wherein the first inductor forms a resonant circuit with a waveform rail capacitance and returns energy to a power supply.

Abstract: Provided is an inkjet printing apparatus, satisfying elements (1) through (4) below, (1) the inkjet printing apparatus including an ink discharging unit configured to discharge an ink, (2) the ink discharging unit including an inkjet head having a nozzle diameter of 17 ?m or greater but 19 ?m or less, (3) the inkjet head including a nozzle plate and an ink repellent layer disposed on a surface of the nozzle plate, and (4) the inkjet printing apparatus using, as the ink, an aqueous dye ink including a water-soluble dye and having a viscosity of 5 mPa·s or greater but 12 mPa·s or less at 25° C.

Abstract: There are provided a conductive base; a plurality of head main bodies which are held by the base and each have a switching element and a pressure generating element for discharging a liquid in a pressure generating chamber; a plurality of covers which are separated from the base, at least one of the pressure generating element and the switching element being sandwiched between the base and each of the covers; and a plurality of conduction portions which each conduct the base and the cover to each other at a plurality of locations.

Abstract: A charged positive toner having a positive polarity that attaches to a charge roller is moved from the charge roller to a photosensitive drum, and the positive toner is transferred to an intermediate transfer belt at a primary transfer portion at which a primary-transfer power supply forms an electric potential having a negative polarity. The primary-transfer power supply forms an electric potential having the positive polarity at the primary transfer portion, and the positive toner transferred to the intermediate transfer belt is moved together with the intermediate transfer belt and is collected by the charge roller in contact with a downstream photosensitive drum.

Abstract: A high-gloss, precise and vivid image is printed appropriately. The printing method performs a printing using a color ink on a medium, and includes: a color ink layer forming step of ejecting the color ink to a medium to form a layer of the color ink, that is, a colored ink layer on the medium; and a glossing step of performing a process for increasing a gloss of the colored ink layer. The color ink includes a colorant and a solvent and generates heat by radiation of an energy ray. In the color ink layer forming step, the energy ray is emitted to the color ink adhering to the medium to remove by evaporation at least a part of the solvent included in the color ink. In the glossing step, the gloss of the colored ink layer is increased after a part of the solvent is removed by evaporation.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a control unit that, when continuously printing on a plurality of cut sheets of a same size, controls a print unit to cause a transfer member to continue movement, controls the print unit and a supply unit so as to stop supply of a cut sheet by the supply unit based on information concerning a time taken to process image data representing an image of a print target by an image processing unit, and controls the print unit not to form an ink image in a partial area on the transfer member that passes through a transfer area at a timing when the supply of the cut sheet to the transfer area is stopped, and to form the ink image in a remaining area.

Abstract: A combination printer and cutting device for printing upon and cutting a web of media or tag stock into individual units. The device may cut vinyl, plastic, or RFID stock material as it moves through the printer in both back and forth directions. The device comprises a printer and a cutting apparatus that is further comprised of a carriage assembly and a movable cutter assembly. The cutter assembly is easily interchangeable and comprises a cutting element such as a wheel blade, and a pressure adjusting element for adjusting the amount of pressure applied by the cutting element to the stock material. Alternatively, the cutter assembly may be manufactured with a predetermined pressure load, but still permit an operator to adjust the depth of cut. The cutting apparatus is adaptable for use with both new and existing printers.