Abstract: During ink-jet printhead servicing, nozzles fire ink droplets into a reservoir of a service station. An electrostatic drop detection circuit uses the difference between the voltage potential of the ink droplets and the voltage potential of the reservoir to create an output signal. The shape and amplitude of the signal are evaluated to determine the functionality of the printhead nozzles. The signal delay, associated with the flight time of the ink droplets, and the amplitude of the output signal are evaluated to determine the volume remaining within the reservoir of the service station. Using the remaining volume as a parameter, the rate at which printhead servicing may be calculated to optimize print quality and resources.

Abstract: A liquid discharge method through a liquid discharge head provided with a liquid flow path having a bubble generating area, in which a bubble is generated from liquid; a heater for generating heat energy to generate and grow the bubble; a discharge port which communicates to the liquid flow path and is a portion for discharging the liquid; a movable member provided in the bubble generating area, having a free end which shifts along with growth of the bubble; and a liquid flow regulating portion for regulating liquid flow in a direction opposite to the discharge port in a displacement process of the movable member and the growth of the bubble, having a step of forming space substantially closed in the liquid flow path having the bubble generating area except for the discharge port by bringing the free end of the movable member in the displacement process, close to the liquid flow regulating portion without substantially contacting each other.

Abstract: A liquid discharge head unit wherein the position of the discharge ports are arranged in high precision with respect to the liquid discharge apparatus main body so that the liquid discharge head unit is capable of executing highly precise liquid discharges.

Abstract: The amount of time required to perform ink drop detections may be substantially reduced by characterizing which nozzles stand a greater likelihood of failure and by performing drop detections more frequently on those nozzles as compared to nozzles that have been identified as having less of a risk of failure. Continuous drop detection on those nozzles that have been identified as standing less of a risk of failure may be substantially omitted, without negatively impacting the quality of a printed output in a substantial manner. By selectively performing drop detections on those nozzles that stand a greater likelihood of failure, it may be possible to both reduce the amount of time required to test the nozzles as well as substantially any negative impact on print quality caused by these nozzles. The characterization of the nozzles as standing a greater likelihood of failure may be based upon the selected printmode.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head in which a heating resistor forming a heating portion, a wiring electrically connected to the heating resistor, and a protective film formed on the heating resistor and the wiring to protect the heating resistor and the wiring are arranged on a substrate for the ink jet recording head. An ink path in communication with a discharging port for discharging ink is also formed on the substrate for the ink jet recording head.

Abstract: The technique of the present invention prints positional misalignment test pattern with a nozzle group without sub-scan feed. The positional misalignment test pattern includes a rear test sub-pattern and a front test sub-pattern printed at different positions shifted in a sub-scanning direction. The rear test sub-pattern is printed with a rear nozzle sub-group, whereas the front test sub-pattern is printed with a front nozzle sub-group. The technique determines a correction value according to correction information that represents a favorable correction state selected based on the printed positional misalignment test pattern, and then actually corrects misalignment of recording positions in a main scanning direction occurring in bidirectional printing, using the correction value thus determined.

Abstract: A housing is configured for removable insertion into a reciprocable carriage of a printer. A thermal ink jet print assembly is mounted in the housing and includes a nozzle plate for forming a plurality of ink dots on a print media adjacent to the housing. A light source is mounted in the housing for illuminating the print media adjacent to the housing. A sensor is mounted in the housing for receiving light reflected from the print media and generating electrical signals representative thereof. The combination inkjet pen and optical scanner reduces the parts count, cost and complexity associated with optical document scanning by incorporating this capability into the pen of a thermal ink jet printer. It also permits the monitoring of dot position, dot size and/or spectral information in a thermal ink jet printer in order to make nozzle firing command corrections and improve print quality during printing.

Abstract: An ink jet printer has an ink jet printing head including plural nozzles arranged in a main scan direction, for ejecting ink. A feeder rollers move continuous recording sheet relative to the printing head in a sub scan direction, to print plural images to the continuous recording sheet. A system controller operates to clean the printing head in a beginning or ending position of respectively the plural images. The printing head prints a cutting indicia to the recording material upon being cleaned. The cutting indicia is adapted to separating the images.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead containing at least one ink channel communicating with a nozzle and defined between two opposed side walls; a membrane interconnecting the side walls; and actuating elements arranged adjacent to the membrane for deflecting the same, wherein the side walls and the membrane are formed by a one-piece member.

Abstract: An ink-jet image forming method forms an image by forming dots using a fast-drying ink and a slow-drying ink, in which, when forming an image, an ambient temperature of an area where the image is formed is detected, and dot density of a predetermined area of the image is recognized based on image data. A process used to form dots is selected based on the detected ambient temperature and the recognized dot density. Under the condition where the inks are easily dried, the slow-drying ink is used to form dots, and under the condition where it is difficult to dry the inks, the slow-drying ink is used suitably with the fast-drying ink to form dots. As a result, the inks can be dried efficiently while suppressing deterioration of image quality.

Abstract: The object is to provide a technique whereby a non-operating nozzle can be detected with higher accuracy. The present invention resides in a printer for printing images by ejecting ink droplets from a plurality of nozzles, wherein an optical path in which light from a light-emitting element 40a for emitting light is focused by a first focusing element 41, allowed to pass through a focusing aperture 43a that is smaller than the area illuminate by the light, and transmitted through the focusing aperture 43a to a light-receiving element 40b for receiving light is laid out according to a configuration in which an intersection is formed with the path described by the ink droplets ejected by the nozzles. The light-emitting element 40a is energized and caused to emit light.

Abstract: A device for determining drop volume for a drop ejection device is disclosed. The drop ejection device has a drop ejector and a reference drop ejector that exhibits less drop volume variation than the drop ejector. The drop ejection device includes a sensor responsive to impinging drops for producing a signal proportional to drop volume. The sensor is responsive to drops from the drop ejector to produce an electrical signal. The sensor is responsive to drops from the reference drop ejector to produce a reference electrical signal. Also included is a processing device responsive to the electrical signal and reference electrical signal for determining drop volume of the drop ejector relative to drop volume of the reference drop ejector.

Abstract: The present invention proposes a method of digitally manipulating inking in digital images to optimize the image by affecting the amount of ink put on the paper. This is accomplished by replacing some inkings with values determined from actual measurement, rather than with values derived from formulas. Digital image data is manipulated by means of multiple transformations, maintaining printed color quality while obtaining a more favorable inking. The technique of the present invention of manipulating inking is calorimetric, in that it is based on precise color measurements. The method of the present invention is based on hard data for the particular print system.

Abstract: A printer includes a printing mechanism and an ink container. The ink container includes a cylinder having a side wall and provided with an ink discharge port in its front end face, a piston received in the cylinder to be slidable along the side wall of the cylinder, and ink between the piston and the front end face in the cylinder. An LED projects light onto the side wall of the cylinder in a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder, and a phototransistor is positioned near a rear end face of the cylinder to be adapted to receive the light projected by the LED and passing through the side wall of the cylinder only once, and outputs an electric signal upon receipt of light. The remainder of ink in the ink container is detected on the basis of the output of the phototransistor.

Abstract: The invention relates to a microactuator arranged on a thermally insulating layer (2) and having a resistance layer (4) made from doped diamond, which is provided with an electrical supply and an electrical leakage (9).

Abstract: An ink jet printing device includes: first storage means, provided on a printhead, for storing data of a type of the printhead, second storage means, provided on an ink cartridge, for storing data of a kind of ink contained in the ink cartridge and types of printheads compatible with the ink cartridge; and control means operating such that the control means judges whether or not an ink cartridge is compatible with a printhead on the basis of data read out of the first and second storage means, and causes the ink jet printing device to perform a printing operation when the ink cartridge is compatible with the printhead.

Abstract: A printing apparatus for performing printing on a printing medium using a print head includes an electrical-power-distribution determination unit for determining a state of concurrence of respective control units for a sheet feeding mechanism, a sheet conveying mechanism, a carriage mechanism and the like and supplying optimum electric power at that time, even if a dedicated motor is provided for each of the mechanisms. For example, when the carriage mechanism is operating and the sheet conveying mechanism is performing driving, low-speed sheet feeding is performed. When neither the carriage mechanism nor the sheet conveying mechanism are performing driving, high-speed sheet feeding is performed. By thus optimizing distribution of electric power for a plurality of driving sources of the printing apparatus, high-speed recording with low electrical power can be realized.

Abstract: An actuator assembly (81) for ink jet printheads, both monochromatic and colour, with a large number of nozzles (62), consists of a die (58) stuck on a rigid substrate (166) and divided into two parts lengthwise to permit the flow of ink from the tank to the nozzles (62), and a flat cable (130) with nozzles (62) stuck on the die (58); the actuator assembly (81) is produced by means of the operations of sticking the die (58) on the rigid substrate (166), making a through cut (173) along the entire length of the die (58), sticking the flat cable (130) with nozzles (62) on the die (58) and sealing the ends of the longitudinal cut (173) with glue. The object of the actuator assembly (81) and the relative manufacturing process is to prevent particularly long dice from breaking during manufacture of the head.

Abstract: Provided is a recording head substrate on which are mounted energy generating elements that contribute to the formation of images by a recording head, and on which both light-receiving elements and light-emitting elements, or at least, light-receiving elements are mounted. In addition, provided is a recording head substrate on which are mounted energy generating elements that contribute to the formation of images by a recording head, and on which are mounted a plurality of head position detecting elements for detecting the position of the recording head.

Abstract: An ink jet printer that includes a printhead for ejecting ink droplets, an ink container for supplying ink to the printhead, and an ink level sensor for measuring the level of ink in the ink container, includes an ink level sensor activator. The ink level sensor activator causes the ink level sensor to measure the level of ink in the ink container after the printhead has ejected a predetermined quantity of ink. The ink level sensor activator records the quantity of ink ejected by the printhead onto the print medium by measuring to the number of droplets of ink ejected, and/or by determining the number of pixels in an image to be printed for which ink is to be ejected. If the quantity of ink ejected has a predetermined threshold, the ink level sensor measures the quantity of ink in the ink container.