Abstract: A printing mechanism comprises a printhead that defines a printzone, and a tray adapted to support at least one sheet of print media. The tray is adapted to move through the printzone during printing by the printhead on the sheet.

Abstract: A cap member (10) which is brought into contact with a nozzle forming surface of a recording head (15) to seal up the nozzle forming surface, and a wiping member (11) which may be brought into sliding contact with the nozzle forming surface of the recording head (15) are disposed on a cap holder (31). With progress of a cleaning operation in which ink is placed under a negative pressure, and sucked and discharged from the recording head, a cap retaining member (50) is moved upward and placed to a set state, whereby blocking the slanting and downward movement of the cap member (10). Then, the wiping member (11) located on the cap holder (31) slides on the nozzle forming surface to wipe the nozzle forming surface. To a flushing operation, the cap retaining member (50) is moved downward and placed to a reset state. In this state, the wiping member (11) does not slide on the nozzle forming surface.

Abstract: A printing device is provided which includes ink-dispensing structure which carries a printhead with a leading edge, and which moves in a printing sweep downstream across a printzone, a fairing structure, and a mounting structure which supports the fairing structure for movement with the printhead downstream from the leading edge of the printhead in a position configured to reduce aerodynamic turbulence associated with the leading edge of the printhead during movement of the printhead downstream across the printzone.

Abstract: A self-cleaning printer system (400) with cleaning liquid (300) and cleaning mechanism (140) with a rotating disk cleaning assembly (32) can be used to remove contaminants from a print head (16) in the self-cleaning ink jet printer system (400). A rotating disk cleaning assembly (32) is disposed relative to the surface (15) of a print head (16) for directing a flow of cleaning liquid (300) along the surface (15) and to direct sliding contact of a disk (190) to clean the contaminants from the surface (15). The rotating disk cleaning assembly (32) is configured to introduce cleaning liquid (300) to the print head surface (15) to facilitate and augment cleaning by the disk (190). Flow of the cleaning liquid (300) is facilitated by vacuum pump (36) which directs cleaning liquid (300) from a cleaning liquid reservoir (270) to the rotating disk cleaning assembly (32).

Abstract: There is provided a printer head in an ink jet printer that includes: a quantification medium pressuring chamber where a quantification medium is introduced; a discharge medium pressuring chamber where a discharge medium is introduced; a quantification medium nozzle communicating with the quantification medium pressuring chamber; a discharge medium nozzle communicating with the discharge medium pressuring chamber, the discharge medium nozzle being disposed to adjoin the quantification medium nozzle; and a first pressure generating element pulling the quantification medium pushed out of the quantification medium nozzle into the discharge medium nozzle to form a mixed solution by contacting the quantification medium in the discharge medium nozzle through a surface where the quantification medium nozzle opens, wherein the first pressure generating element then generates a pressure for discharging the mixed solution from the discharge medium nozzle.

Abstract: There are provided a card printing method and a card printing apparatus which are capable of preventing or minimizing the possibility of adhesion of ink to end faces of a card. The card printing apparatus prints on a card having a predetermined thickness by an ink jet printing method. A card feed mechanism feeds the card C. A print head carries out printing on the card being advanced, while performing reciprocating motions. A controller controls the card feed mechanism and the print head. The controller causes the print head to carry out beyond-edge printing in which ink droplets are ejected beyond opposite edges of the card, immediately before termination of ejection of the droplets when the print head is moved in one direction, and immediately before termination of ejection of the droplets when the print head is moved in another direction opposite to the one direction, if the beyond-edge printing is required.

Abstract: Images are printed up to the edges of printing paper while preventing ink droplets from depositing on the platen. The platen 26 of the inventive printer comprises, in order from the upstream side in the sub-scanning direction, an upstream support 26sf, an upstream slot 26f, a central support 26c, a downstream slot 26r. In this printer, the images in the upper-edge portion of printing paper are printed solely by a fourth group of nozzles Nr opposite the downstream slot 26r, the images in the lower-edge portion of printing paper are printed solely by a second group of nozzles Nh opposite the upstream slot 26f. An upper-edge transitional routine is performed for the area between the upper-edge portion the intermediate printing portion such that images are printed using all the nozzles (as in the intermediate portion) while sub-scanning is performed the system is fed in the same manner as in the upper-edge portion.

Abstract: A method for laminating a proof to simulate printing on thin plastic materials consisting of the steps of: creating a first support layer (150); creating an imaged receiver sheet (140) comprising an image (210), a first thermal print layer (220), and the first support layer (150); forming a second support layer (170) comprising a support base, a aluminized layer (200) and a release layer; creating an imageless receiver sheet (280) comprising a second thermal print layer (225), and the second support layer (170); laminating the imageless receiver sheet (280) to the imaged receiver sheet (140) thereby encapsulating the image (210) between the first thermal print layer (220) and second thermal print layer (225); removing the first support layer (150); removing the second support layer (170); forming an encapsulated image (250) simulating a proof.