Abstract: An apparatus includes a passage along which a recording medium with magnetic information recorded thereon can travel and an information read head disposed along the passage for reading the magnetic information. The apparatus also includes a first print head disposed on the first side of the passage and a second print head disposed on the second side of the passage. The first print head prints information on a first surface of the recording media based on data obtained by the information read head and the second print head prints information on a second surface of the recording media based on the data obtained by the information read head. Methods of processing a recording medium with magnetic information recorded thereon also are disclosed.

Abstract: An elongated-strip-article processor comprises: a processing section for applying printing to a plurality of continuous elongated strip articles along conveying passages of the elongated strip articles by an ink jet printer; a conveying section disposed in a vicinity of the processing section for intermittently conveying the elongated strip articles by a predetermined length; tension adjusting sections respectively disposed upstream and downstream out of a range of the conveying passages including the processing section and the conveying section for adjusting tension of each of the elongated strip articles at a constant value; sensors respectively provided at the tension adjusting sections for detecting a length of slack of each of the elongated strip articles; and feed sections disposed respectively upstream of the upstream-side tension adjusting section and downstream of the downstream-side tension adjusting section so as to correspond to the individual elongated strip articles.

Abstract: It is an exemplified object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer having a head drive circuit that can generate a less distorted drive waveform stably using a smaller-size and smaller-capacitance transistor than the conventional.

Abstract: An ink-jet printing apparatus receives image data from a host computer and prints the image data. If an elapsed time from an end of printing processing for one printing job to start of printing processing for the next job is less than a predetermined time period, printing processing for the next job is started, without subjecting ink-jet heads to a recovery process, following the end of printing processing for the one job. The recovery process is carried out not only when the predetermined period elapses but also whenever processing for printing on a predetermined amount of printing medium is executed.

Abstract: A hand-held printer and a method thereof has an ink jet head with a plurality of aligned ink nozzles, a device for moving the ink jet head in the orthogonal direction to the aligned direction of the plurality of ink nozzles, a printer case that covers a movable range of the ink jet head and has an opening on the side facing the plurality of ink nozzles, and a handle provided on the printer case. The method for printing one print line using a hand-held printer with a handle includes the steps of: receiving print data corresponding to one print line and discharging ink from a plurality of ink nozzles aligned on an ink jet head of the hand-held printer while moving the ink jet head in the orthogonal direction to the aligned direction of the plurality of ink nozzles according to the print data.

Abstract: An ink jet recording device includes an external switch, a device for detecting the amount of ink left in each ink cartridge, and a device operating such that when an instruction to replace the ink cartridge is generated by the switch, or when a device detects an ink end of the cartridge, only the ink cartridge to be replaced is exposed through a window in the recording device. The ink cartridge to be replaced is specified, and only the specified ink cartridge is automatically moved to a replaceable position. Correct replacement of more than one ink cartridge is ensured, and the cartridge replacing work is simplified.

Abstract: A liquid ejecting head for ejecting liquid by generation of bubble includes an ejection outlet for ejecting the liquid; a liquid path in fluid communication with the ejection outlet; a bubble generation region for generating the bubble in the liquid; a movable member having a fulcrum and a free end and disposed faced to the bubble generation region; wherein the movable member moves from the first position to the second position by pressure produced by the generation of the bubble, and a resistance against movement of the movable member, is smaller adjacent the free end than adjacent the fulcrum.

Abstract: An apparatus for driving an ink jet record head, in which a pressure generating element and an opening is provided for each of a plurality of nozzles so as to cause an ink droplet to spout from the opening. The apparatus includes a driving signal generation unit that generates a driving signal, which includes a first driving pulse for causing a first ink droplet to spout from a nozzle and a second driving pulse for causing a second ink droplet to spout from the nozzle that is greater in size than the first ink droplet. Also included is a dot creation unit configured to select both the first driving pulse and the second driving pulse in one recording period corresponding to the recording of one pixel so as to create a larger dot than dots formed by the first and second ink droplets, and an element driving unit that drives the pressure generating element in response to the selected driving pulses.

Abstract: Printer and print head capable of printing in a plurality of dynamic ranges of ink droplet volumes, and method of assembling same. A plurality of first nozzles are connected to a print head body, each first nozzle having a first orifice of a first size for ejecting an ink droplet having a first volume. The ink droplet volume is selected from a first dynamic range of volumes uniquely associated with each first nozzle. A plurality of second nozzles are also connected to the print head body, each second nozzle having a second orifice of a second size larger than the first size of the first nozzles for ejecting an ink droplet therethrough having a second volume larger than the first volume. The second volume is selected from a second dynamic range of volumes, which second dynamic range of volumes may be greater than the first dynamic range of volumes.

Abstract: Drive signal generating means generates a drive signal including a plural number of drive pulses during one period. Print data generating means generates print data to input one or a plural number of the drive pulses to each pressure generating element during one print period. The pressure generating means expands and contracts in accordance with the drive pulses input thereto, to thereby cause the ejection of an ink droplet or droplets.

Abstract: A displaceable print cartridge chute for an inkjet printer. The chute holding the print cartridges is displaceable from the carriage that sweeps the cartridges relative to the media during printing. The chute can be moved from a printing position engaged with the carriage to a service position adjacent a side of the printer so as to facilitate installation and removal of the cartridges through the side rather than the top of the printer. Because cartridges are serviced through the side, a printer incorporating the displaceable print cartridge chute can be stacked with other electronic equipment.

Abstract: A pen controller in a thermal printer generates a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal based on a reference voltage. The PWM signal is passed through a filter, resulting in a first voltage that varies with the duty cycle of the PWM signal. Additionally, a temperature sensing resistor on a pen of the printer generates a second voltage that varies with the temperature of the pen. A comparator is used to compare the first and second voltages to determine when the pen is at a proper temperature for printing. As the actual reference voltage in a printer may vary from its intended value due to variations in the fabrication process used to create the components of the printer, the printer is calibrated to account for such variations. The printer is calibrated by the pen controller changing the duty cycle of the PWM signal (thereby changing the first voltage) while the second voltage remains relatively constant.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ink jet printer for having a scan module detachably mounted thereon. According to the present invention, the ink jet printer includes a body including a paper carrying section and a capping section formed at an outside of the paper carrying section; a guide shaft mounted to be normal to a direction of carrying the paper along a width of the body; and a carriage which has at least one scan module and a plurality of ink cartridges mounted thereon, the carriage is reciprocally moved along the guide shaft in the paper carrying section, and which is carried to the capping section when a printing or scanning is finished, wherein the scan module is detachably mounted on the carriage and a distance between the scan module and the capping section is larger than a distance between the ink cartridges and the capping section.

Abstract: Multiple links with series resistors are connected to address select transistors and a sense line in a printhead encoding circuit. This arrangement provides an increased number of possible states, thereby increasing the amount of information which can be encoded for such purposes as pen identification.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus having a print head and a control system to control the discharge of variable size ink drops from the print head. The control system controls a print operation to divide the printing of an image into steps, wherein at least a first step includes the printing of dots having diameters within a specified range and at least a second step includes the printing of dots having diameters within another specified range.

Abstract: A magnetoelectric apparatus for measuring the droplet frequency response at a printhead by applying a method comprising a metallic detecting plate and a magnetic ring, and a method using the foregoing apparatus to determine the maximum droplet frequency response of the printhead. When an ink drop jetted from the nozzle makes contact with the detecting plate, which is perpendicular to the nozzle plate of the printhead, a current flows through the detecting plate immediately, and is detected as a portion of an expected signal. As soon as the ink drop leaves the nozzle completely, the foregoing current no longer exists. However, the magnetic ring generates an induced current that flows in the same direction as that of the foregoing current to complement the absence thereof, wherein the induced current is also detected as another portion of the expected signal. The expected signal is then processed by a signal-processing routine for determining the maximum droplet frequency response of the inkjet printhead.

Abstract: Determination of the quantity of liquid product contained in a reservoir, with the help of a capacitive arrangement. The invention is applicable to a reservoir (112) comprising a compartment (166) where the product is in the captive state, for example impregnating a porous body, and the conductive electrodes (221, 222) associated with this compartment are situated on either side of the volume where the product is in the captive state and offset with respect to one another in order to be located respectively in the vicinity of two opposite ends of this volume. When the reservoir has another compartment where the product is in the free state, the electrodes of the capacitive arrangement are advantageously L-shaped.

Abstract: A device for electronically capturing an image on a whiteboard, storing the image and then putting the captured image back onto the whiteboard using dry erase ink in an inkjet printhead array. The image capture portion of the device may include an image capture array that is a whiteboard-wide-array of image capture elements. The image replace portion of the device may include a whiteboard-wide-array of inkjet printhead elements. The data storage portion of the device may either be on the device or off of the device or both. The device may also be capable of interactive whiteboard image manipulation from a remote location via the Internet, telecommunications, facsimile, infrared, modem, or other known electronic data transmission means.

Abstract: A handheld camera system is disclosed comprising an image sensor device for sensing an image; a processing means for processing the sensed image; a storage means for storing images and programs for utilization by the processor means; a print media stored internally to the camera system; a print head for printing the sensed image on the print media; an alterable switch for storing a current state of output types of the camera system; a switch interconnected to the processing means and having a number of predetermined states and the processing means adapted to monitor the switch state and process the sensed image in accordance with the switch state to cause the print head to output a corresponding modified image in accordance with the switch state.

Abstract: A driving waveform generating device and method comprises the steps of retaining data on absolute coordinate values in a waveform data storage unit 1 as data at a plurality of points in a plurality of driving waveforms a-f at a predetermined temperature, reading the data on the plurality of point in a desired driving waveform a from a waveform data read unit 3A on the basis of gradation data, correcting the difference between the environmental temperature during the printing operation and the aforesaid predetermined temperature in a temperature compensation unit 3B, converting data on the corrected absolute coordinate value to data on the relative coordinate value in waveform data conversion unit 3C, interpolating the point-to-point value by means of a waveform data interpolation unit 5, subjecting the interpolated the data on the driving waveform to analog conversion by means of a D/A conversion unit 7, amplifying the analog signal in a signal amplifier unit 9, and outputting the amplified signal.