Abstract: Provided is a printer including an ink tank, a print head, a light source that irradiates the ink tank with light, a photoelectric conversion device that detects light incident from the ink tank, and a processing unit. The processing unit detects an amount of ink in the ink tank based on a lowest position among the positions where a light amount detected by the photoelectric conversion device satisfies a given condition.

Abstract: Provided is a printer including an ink tank, a print head performing printing by using ink in the ink tank, a light source irradiating the ink tank with light, a photoelectric conversion device detecting light incident from the ink tank in a period during which the light source emits light, and a processing unit determining ink characteristics based on characteristics of a light amount detected by the photoelectric conversion device.

Abstract: A printing system includes: a media feed chassis including a plurality of fixed roller shafts, each roller shaft having a rotatable roller for guiding print media through a media feed path; and one or more inkjet modules mounted on the media feed chassis for printing on the print media. Each inkjet module has a support chassis seated on a set of roller shafts, and the support chassis includes a base having a set of notches defined therein, the roller shafts being received within the notches.

Abstract: A printing apparatus measures a temperature of an electrothermal transducer by a corresponding temperature detection element, detects, based on the measured temperature, a peak voltage which indicates a point of change, from a state where ink is discharged normally from a printhead to a state where the ink is not discharged from the printhead, and compares the peak voltage with a threshold value. The measurement, detection, and comparison are repeated until the peal voltage becomes equal to or more than the threshold value. Energy supplied to the electrothermal transducer at a time in which the peak voltage is determined to be equal to or more than the threshold is determined to be minimum discharge energy.

Abstract: A bonding structure includes a first part including a first bonding surface and a second part including a second bonding surface to be bonded to the first bonding surface of the first part with a first adhesive and a second adhesive different from the first adhesive. At least one of the first bonding surface and the second bonding surface includes a first region on which the first adhesive is applied, a second region on which the second adhesive is applied, and a third region disposed between the first region and the second region, the third region having a water repellency higher than a water repellency of each of the first region and the second region.

Abstract: A method for ink-jet recording comprising recording an image on a recording medium using an ink-jet recording apparatus including a recording head equipped with a heat generation unit which generates thermal energy for discharging aqueous ink by discharging the aqueous ink from the recording head based on image data by action of the thermal energy, wherein the aqueous ink is discharged once by applying a single pulse waveform voltage to the heat generation unit in the recording, and wherein the aqueous ink includes silver particles.

Abstract: The ink jet recording method is an ink jet recording method of recording an image on a recording medium using an ink jet recording apparatus including a recording head and a recovery mechanism for recovering an ejection state of pigment ink from ejection orifices. The recording head includes a first flow path and a second flow path allowing an ejection orifice and a recording element to communicate with each other and through which ink flows between the ejection orifice and the recording element. The ink jet recording method includes (i) a first cleaning of allowing the ink in the first flow path to flow to the second flow path while performing wiping and suction with a suction wiper; or (ii) a second cleaning of allowing the ink in the first flow path to flow to the second flow path after performing wiping and suction with a suction wiper.

Abstract: In one or more embodiments, the present invention provides a method of applying or printing structural colors to a substrate that involves pre-treatment of the substrate surface to prevent absorption of the fluid containing the particles. This allows the fluid to maintain their sessile drop shapes and as the water evaporates, the colloidal particles spontaneously assemble within the confined geometry into semi-ordered structures that interact with light to produce structural color. While the pre-treatment may be done in a variety of ways, application of a, hydrophobic and/or oleophobic coating, like 1H-IH,2H-perfluoro-1-dodecene (C10F21—CH?CH2) (perfluoro) monomer, fluoroalkyls, fluorohydroalkyls, cyclo-fluoroalkyls, fluorobenzen, by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (cold plasma treatment) has been found to be effective, particularly for printing applications. These treated substrates allow production of a wide range of structural colors using binary systems of nanoparticles.

Abstract: A method for printing on a multi-dimensional object may include creating a customized object holder for the multi-dimensional object by heating a thermoforming sheet to a thermoforming temperature, molding the heated thermoforming sheet around at least a portion of a multi-dimensional object to form a holding portion for the multi-dimensional object, creating one or more printable areas on the molded thermoforming sheet, and applying one or more datum points on the molded thermoformed sheet. The one or more datum points may be configured to provide information relating to position of the one or more printable areas to a print system.

Abstract: Printheads for a jetting apparatus. In one embodiment, a printhead comprises a plurality of jetting channels having nozzles on a bottom surface configured to jet a print fluid, and longitudinal sides disposed between the bottom surface and a top surface. The printhead also comprises Input/Output (I/O) ports disposed on one or more of the longitudinal sides, and configured to convey the print fluid into or out of the printhead. The printhead further includes one or more chain manifolds disposed between the I/O ports.

Abstract: An absorbent composite of the present disclosure includes an aggregate of small pieces having a shape with a longitudinal direction, including fibers and a water absorbent resin, in which when a total length in the longitudinal direction of the small piece is L1 [mm] and a distance between end points connecting one end and the other end of the small piece is L2 [mm], an average value of L2/L1 is greater than 0 and 0.950 or less.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a main unit that accommodates a recording head and a carriage that is movable in a transport direction of the medium. At least one liquid container mounted above the recording head in the carriage contains the liquid to be supplied to the recording head and has an inlet through which the liquid is to be refilled from an ink refill bottle. The plug member plugs up the inlet. An illumination member irradiates the liquid container from the liquid container. A detector detects detaching of the plug member from the inlet. A controller controls the illumination member, based on a detection result of the detector. The illumination member irradiates the liquid container in response to detection of the detaching of the plug member from the inlet with the detector.

Abstract: An inkjet printer collects ink mist, and eliminates the necessity of frequent filter cleaning and replacement. Vents are on an upstream side in a conveying direction of a printing medium of the print heads of a printing part, blowout air volume of the respective vents can be adjusted, collection ports are on a downstream side in the conveying direction of the printing medium of the respective print heads, suction air volume of the collection ports can be adjusted, and an ink mist collecting parts are each provided which liquefies and collects ink mist contained in air sucked from any one of the collection ports while the air passes through filters. The blowout air volumes of the respective print heads and the suction air volumes are set to air volumes according to amounts of generated ink mist, and ink mist is collected according to differences in amounts of generated ink mist.

Abstract: A method of forming an image on a recording medium using an ink jet recording apparatus. The ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head in which a plurality of recording element substrates is arranged to form joint portions and a plurality of wipers is arranged to form wiper overlapping portions. The method includes ejecting a first ink from a first ejection orifice array, ejecting a second ink from a second ejection orifice array, and the plurality of recording element substrates with the plurality of wipers. The first ejection orifice array is wiped and then the second ejection orifice array is wiped. At least a part of the wiper overlapping portion wipes the joint portion. A dynamic surface tension (?D1) of the first ink is equal to or more than a static surface tension (?S2) of the second ink.

Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus that includes a liquid discharge head including a nozzle discharging liquid onto a recording medium and a pressure generating unit generating pressure by a change in a drive waveform of the liquid, a drive waveform generating unit generating the drive waveform applied to the pressure generating unit, and a waveform selection unit selectively masking a part of the drive waveform and selecting a pulse of the drive waveform, wherein the drive waveform includes at least one discharge pulse and a micro-drive pulse for causing a change in meniscus so that the liquid is not discharged at a point where the liquid is not discharged on the recording medium, wherein the micro-drive pulse is disposed at a head of a discharge cycle of the drive waveform, and wherein the micro-drive pulse is disposed at an integer multiple of a natural vibration cycle Tc of the liquid chamber.

Abstract: A fluidic die includes a sense architecture having a global sense block to provide an analog reference signal and an array of distributed sense blocks. Each distributed sense block is to receive a same set of addresses via an address bus and each is to receive a corresponding sense enable signal having an enable value or a disable value. Each distributed sense block includes an array of sensors, each sensor corresponding to a different address of the set of addresses and a sample circuit to apply the analog reference signal to the sensor corresponding to the address on the address bus when the corresponding sense enable signal has the enable value, and provide to the global sense block an analog sense signal from the sensor resulting from application of the analog reference signal.

Abstract: An integrated inkjet module includes: a support chassis configured for fixedly mounting on a media feed chassis; a maintenance chassis slidably mounted on the support chassis; and a print bar chassis liftably mounted on the maintenance chassis, the print bar chassis having one or more inkjet printheads mounted thereon.

Abstract: A print element board includes a surface provided with a first side and a plurality of terminals arranged along the first side near the first side, in which an angle at a first peak located at a first end of the first side is smaller than an angle at a second peak located at a second end of the first side, and a printing element electrically connected with the terminals for recording. A distance between the first peak and a first terminal disposed closest to the first peak is longer than a distance between the second peak and a second terminal disposed closest to the second peak.

Abstract: A fluidic die may include a fluid actuator comprising an electrical resistor, a power node to supply electrical current to the resistor to drive the fluid actuator, a low side switch transistor connected to a ground node and having a gate to control the flow of electrical current through the resistor, a voltage regulator to receive electrical power from the power node and to output a predetermined voltage and a level shifter to control to output a low side switch transistor gate drive voltage using the predetermined voltage and based upon control signals to control the gate to control fluid displacement by the fluid actuator. The predetermined voltage is greater than a voltage of the control signals and is independent of a resistance of the ground node.

Abstract: A cap unit includes a cap portion which intimately contacts an ink ejection surface of a recording head of an inkjet recording apparatus, a support plate, a unit frame, and a plate moving mechanism. The support plate has the cap portion fixed thereto, and is supported to be movable in an up-down direction with respect to the unit frame. The unit frame supports the support plate, and has a fixing mechanism with respect to the inkjet recording apparatus. The plate moving mechanism is capable of moving the support plate, with the unit frame fixed to the inkjet recording apparatus, to a first position at which the cap portion is in contact with the ink ejection surface, and to a second position at which the cap portion is apart from the ink ejection surface.