Abstract: The present invention provides a method for preparing an ink-jet recording sheet including a support and a colorant receiving layer disposed on the surface of the support, and an ink-jet recording sheet prepared by the method. The method including: coating a coating solution including inorganic fine particles, a water-soluble resin and a boron compound on the surface of the support to form a coated layer; and cross-linking and hardening the coated layer to form a colorant receiving layer. The cross-linking and hardening is performed by applying a solution containing a metal compound and having a pH of 8 or higher to the coated layer or a coated film at one of: (1) simultaneous as coating the coating solution; (2) during drying of the coated layer and before the coated layer shows a falling rate of drying; or (3) after the coated layer is dried to form the coated film.

Abstract: A drive roller releasing apparatus for an ink-jet printer includes a drive roller separating mechanism at a drive roller to transport a printing material to a feed roller, to separate a pinch roller from the drive roller, and a controller to control the drive roller separating mechanism to separate the pinch roller from the drive roller when the printing material is moved into the feed roller. The drive roller separating mechanism includes a releasing cam to contact a pinch roller shaft. The cam surface is such that the pinch roller is gradually separated from the drive roller due to a rotation of the drive roller shaft. A one-way clutch allows the releasing cam to be rotated in one direction, and a torsion spring to bias the releasing cam to rotate in one direction in order for the cam surface thereof to be contacting with the pinch roller shaft.

Abstract: A piezoelectric thin film can achieve a large piezoelectric displacement. A chemical composition of the piezoelectric thin film is expressed by Pb1+a(ZrxTi1?x)O3+a(0.2?a?0.6 and 0.50?x?0.62). The crystal structure of the piezoelectric thin film is a mixture of a perovskite columnar crystal region (24) having an ionic defect in which a portion of the constitutive elements of an oxygen ion, a titanium ion, and a zirconium ion is missing and a perovskite columnar crystal region (25) of stoichiometric composition having no ionic defect. This configuration allows a residual compressive stress in the crystal to be relaxed by the perovskite columnar crystal region (24) having an ionic defect, thus achieving a large piezoelectric displacement (displacement amount).

Abstract: A first piezoelectric layer is laminated on a first common electrode and comprised of a first piezoelectric material having a first residual stress. A drive electrode is laminated on the first piezoelectric layer, to which a drive signal is supplied externally. A second piezoelectric layer is laminated on the drive electrode and comprised of a second piezoelectric material having a second residual stress lower than the first residual stress. A second common electrode is laminated on the second piezoelectric layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ink filter for an inkjet print cartridge, the print cartridge having nozzles for dispensing ink from an ink supply. The filter is formed of a polymeric material and is configured to prevent particles in the ink supply from passing to the print nozzles. The polymeric filter material is overmolded in a carrier which is configured to be coupled between the ink supply and the print nozzles.

Abstract: An ink stick for a solid ink feed system of a phase change ink printer includes an ink stick body having an insertion perimeter, and a guide surface with a shaped guide element shaped to interact with an elongate shaped guide rail of the solid ink feed system. The ink stick insertion perimeter is in a plane substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction, and the insertion direction and the feed direction are different. The insertion perimeter has at least one perimeter section forming a nonlinear key element that matches in size and shape a nonlinear key element in the perimeter of the key plate insertion opening. In particular implementations, the insertion perimeter forms a visually recognizable symbol, such as an alphanumeric character. In particular implementations, a plurality of ink sticks form a set in which the visually recognizable symbols differ from one another, and may form a pattern of symbols, such as a sequence of alphanumeric characters.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for determining angular position information and the printing of individual ink objects at target print sectors disbursed around an annular surface on a circular spinning media such as on a CD, dynamically during the radial printing process, are described. Mechanisms for computing the instantaneous angular position and apparatus for collocating encoder devices in close proximity to the CD rotation motor are disclosed.

Abstract: A printer includes a print head including nozzles that eject ink on a recording medium sheet, first and second rollers provided on a sheet feeding path for feeding the sheet therealong, a platen provided between the first and second rollers for guiding the sheet on the sheet feeding path, and a guide roller disposed between the nozzles and the second roller on the feeding path. A rotation axis of the guide roller is fixed with respect to the feeding path. The guide roller disposed as above restricts the movement of the sheet in a direction away from the platen and thereby prevents the sheet from floating on the platen.

Abstract: A recording apparatus is provided in which a space can be secured on a desk without performing a troublesome operation, and penetration of dust or foreign matter into a main body can be prevented when the apparatus is not used, and a sheet jam caused by closing of a sheet-discharge-port cover does not occur when the apparatus is used. In the apparatus, a magnet unit is provided at a sheet feeding cover covering a sheet feeding opening, and a metal member is provided at a sheet-discharge-port cover for covering a sheet discharge port. By attraction of the metal member of the sheet-discharge-port cover by the magnet unit of the sheet feeding cover, and a locked state is provided, to provide a shell structure. Linked with opening of the sheet feeding cover, the sheet-discharge-port cover is automatically opened by its own weight. A DC jack is disposed at a right side of the printer main body, and an I/F (interface) connector is disposed within a detachable side cover.

Abstract: An ink stick for use in a solid ink feed system of a phase change ink printer includes a three dimensional ink stick body that has formed in it guide means. The guide means is formed in a first portion of the ink stick body, for guiding the ink stick along a defined path in the ink stick feed system. An ink stick feed system includes a longitudinal guide rail in a first portion of a feed channel. The width of the longitudinal guide rail is substantially less than the width of the feed channel. The guide means in the ink stick is a longitudinal guide element having a shape that is substantially complementary of the shape of the longitudinal guide rail of the feed channel.

Abstract: An image is printed on a substrate by means of a computer driven printer using heat activated dyes, without activating the dyes during the process of printing onto the substrate. The dyes are subsequently activated by applying sufficient heat and pressure to the substrate to activate the dyes.

Abstract: There is disclosed a liquid ink including a photo acid generating agent that generates an acid upon irradiation with light, a coloring component, and at least one kind of a solvent that is polymerized in the presence of an acid. It is preferable that the amount of the photo acid generating agent contained in the liquid ink falls within a range of between 1 part by weight and 10 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the solvent, the coloring component consists of a pigment, and the solvent contains at least 50 parts by weight of an acid polymerizable compound, the acid polymerizing compound polymerizing in the presence of the acid, having an alicyclic skeleton and/or an aliphatic skeleton having a viscosity of 50 mPa·s or less and a boiling point of 150° C. or more under room temperature and atmospheric pressure.

Abstract: In an image output apparatus which can perform entire-surface printing and both-sided printing, if an instruction to print additional information together with an image is issued or printing of the additional information together with the image is set, it is determined whether to perform entire-surface printing or normal printing. In the case of entire-surface printing, the additional information is printed on the back surface while in the case of normal printing, the additional information is printed outside an image printing area. This makes it possible to print the additional information of an image to be printed and output at a position which does not overlap the image.

Abstract: An inkjet recording head includes nozzles arrayed in one direction and ink droplet ejecting devices formed in the respective nozzles. Each nozzle has a height difference in a depthwise direction on a side on which ink droplets are ejected and an ink liquid surface is formed between both edges forming the height difference. An inkjet printer uses this inkjet recording head. The inkjet recording head can eject ink obliquely to the ejection surface for correcting recording pitches at joining portions and preventing the periphery of the nozzles from being contaminated by the ink splashed back from image receiving paper. The ejection angle and the ejecting direction can also be suitably selected and adjusted.

Abstract: In an ink jet printing apparatus that performs printing by using an ink and a processing liquid that renders the ink insoluble, an effect the mist of the processing liquid or substances insolubilized by it has on the ejection performance of the ink head or processing liquid head is reduced. The distance between the processing liquid head 101S and the print paper 103 carried by the belt 111 is set larger than the head-to-paper distances of other heads 101Bk, 101C, 101M, 101Y. As a result, the mist generated by the ejection of the processing liquid from the head 101S diffuses in a recessed space formed by the heads 101Bk and 101C on both sides of the head 101S and thus hardly reaches the ink nozzle surfaces of these heads on both sides.

Abstract: A hand held device that accepts a digital image, and transfers it to a wall, ceiling, floor, or any smooth surface. The hand held unit consists of a print element array in addition to a positioning mechanism that determines the absolute position of said device on the wall. Said positioning mechanism consists of a plurality of extruding tape, which in conjunction with the motion of the device over the surface, provides linear measurements from a plurality of fixed reference points to a fixed location on the device. The combination of said tapes provide sufficient information to triangulate the exact location and orientation of said device on the surface, subsequently providing sufficient information to impart the proper portion of said digital image to the surface, as said device moves across the surface. Repeated sweeping movements of said device over the surface will render further portions of the image, until it is complete.

Abstract: An ink for inkjet recording containing a colorant, a humectant, a penetrant, water and a water soluble substance that is condensation-polymerized in the absence of water (e.g., hydrolysable silane compound), a gelation suppressant is contained for suppressing gelation of the water soluble substance in the water, wherein gelation suppressant is acetylacetone or derivative thereof.

Abstract: There is disclosed an image recording method for recording data on a recording material by a recording head which reciprocates in a direction substantially perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the recording material. A plurality of recording materials are conveyed in parallel with one anther and in the same direction, and a plurality of recording heads are independently driven on a common guide member, which is disposed to be perpendicular to the conveyance direction. The images are recorded on the plurality of recording materials in parallel with and independently of one another. The recording speed in recording the images on the plurality of recording materials can be increased. A high-speed recording is possible without deteriorating an image quality, and an apparatus is prevented from being enlarged.

Abstract: A fixing belt for fixing an ink-jet image recorded on an ink-jet recording material, the fixing belt including a base material having thereon a base-surface modifying layer and a releasing layer in the order, wherein the base-surface modifying layer has a pencil hardness of HB or a higher hardness and the releasing layer includes a silicone resin.

Abstract: A print medium is printed on with a printhead of an ink jet printer. The print medium is advanced in an advance direction a predetermined amount. The print medium is printed on with the printhead in an area corresponding to the predetermined amount. A determination is made of an end of printable area on the print medium in the advance direction. The print medium is advanced in the advance direction a minimum reliable move amount, dependent upon the end of printable area determination. The minimum reliable move amount is less than the predetermined amount. The print medium is printed on with the printhead in an area corresponding to the minimum reliable move amount.