Abstract: The invention is directed to an ink jet printer including a printhead and a printhead driver. The printhead includes a substrate, a nozzle plate having a plurality of ink emitting orifices, a plurality of jetting heaters on the substrate and respectively associated with the plurality of ink emitting orifices, and at least one substrate heater associated with the substrate. Each of the jetting heaters and the substrate heaters include first and second terminals. The printhead driver has a plurality of energizable outputs including at least one power line output and at least two enable line outputs. One power line output is electrically connected to a first terminal of each of a jetting heater and a substrate heater. Two of the enable line outputs are coupled to a second terminal of the jetting heater and a second terminal of the substrate heater.

Abstract: A recording head comprises a recording element substrate on which a plurality of recording elements and first connecting electrodes connecting to the recording elements are disposed a driving element substrate on which a plurality of driving elements for driving the plurality of recording elements and second connecting electrodes connecting to the driving elements are disposed and a pressure welding member for producing a pressure welding force to pressure weld the recording element substrate and the driving element substrate together. The recording element substrate and the driving element substrate are pressure welded by the pressure welding member to connect the first connecting electrodes and the second connecting electrodes, with the recording element substrate sandwiched between the driving element substrate and the pressure welding member.

Abstract: A high-durability printhead for an ink cartridge printing system includes a substrate having ink ejectors (e.g. resistors) thereon and an orifice plate positioned above the substrate. The orifice plate (which preferably involves a non-metallic polymer film) has a top surface, bottom surface and a plurality of openings therethrough. To improve the durability of the orifice plate, a protective coating is applied to the top surface and/or the bottom surface of the plate. Representative coatings involve dielectric compositions (including diamond-like carbon) or at least one layer of metal. This approach improves the abrasion and deformation resistance of the plate and avoids "dimpling" problems. Likewise, an intermediate barrier layer of diamond-like carbon is used between the orifice plate and the substrate. As result, an additional level of structural integrity is imparted to the orifice plate and printhead.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a discharge rotary body, a pinch rotary body, a drive transmission rotary body and a regulation member. The discharge rotary body feeds and discharges a sheet from a recording section. The pinch rotary body is disposed facing the discharge rotary body for pinching and feeding the sheet along the discharge rotary body. The drive transmission rotary body has a circumferential surface contacting a circumferential surface of the discharge rotary body with a pressure exerted in a direction different from a straight line drawn between rotary centers of the discharge rotary body and the pinch rotary body, for rotationally driving the discharge rotary body. The regulation member contacts the discharge rotary body when deformation of the discharge rotary body exceeds a predetermined quantity arising due to pressure from the drive transmission rotary body and regulates deformation of the discharge rotary body from exceeding the predetermined quantity.

Abstract: An ink jet printer including a carriage which moves along a print area, a head mounted on the carriage, an ink cartridge mounted on the carriage for supplying ink to the head, a lever on the carriage for mounting or demounting the ink cartridge with respect to the carriage and a stopper for stopping the movement of the carriage by coming into contact with the lever when an operation of mounting the ink cartridge by the lever has not been completely effected. The ink jet printer may also include a resilient member for supporting the ink cartridge on the carriage.

Abstract: A polycrystalline silicon layer which serves as a heating resistor is laid on a Si substrate, whereby a heating area 25 and a low-resistance area 26 are formed. In this event, the area of the heating area 25 is set according to the physical properties of ink squirted from a corresponding nozzle. As a result, the amount of ink droplet to be squirted becomes an optimum value, and the quality of an image is improved. Further, the heating area 25 is formed such that the resistance of the heating area becomes larger as the area of the heating area becomes smaller. Eventually, the amounts of energy per unit area of the heating areas become equal to each other, and ink-jet nozzles can be actuated using the same drive pulse.

Abstract: An inkjet printer has a printhead mounted in a carriage which periodically moves in a carriage scan direction to a stop position in a service station where an actuation device causes a wiper blade to move back and forth across ink orifices on a nozzle surface of the printhead during a wiping operation. The actuation device incorporates a rotating lead screw to impart transtlational motion to the wiper blade in a wiping direction orthogonal to the carriage scan direction. A clutching action prevents further movement of the wiper blade after completion of each wiping step. The actuation device is driven through a gear train from a motor such as a media advance motor. An ink spittoon is incorporated in the same service station for receiving ink generated during a spitting operation, and a scraper in the ink spittoon removes residual ink from the wiper blade.