Abstract: An ink replenishing device for an ink cartridge of a jet printer, of which the body part of the ink cartridge has a storage chamber, loaded with a sponge for soaking ink and balancing the pressure in the storage chamber. After the ink in the storage chamber is used up, the output port of the ink cartridge is closed with a glue paper so as to protect the resilient pad on the inner surface on the supporting plate and to seal the output port of the ink cartridge. A membrane attached on the through hole of the top surface of the ink cartridge is stabbed through by a short taper-shaped ink straw on the ink bottle so as to have the ink straw and the through hole connected together hermetically. The ink bottle is squeezed repeatedly so as to have the ink and the air in the ink cartridge exchanged in a convection manner via the ink straw, and to complete the ink-replenishing operation quickly.

Abstract: An electrostatic ink jet recorder of the present invention includes a head for ejecting ink, an ink reservoir storing the ink, and an ink feed pipe and an ink discharge pipe for circulating the ink between the head and the ink reservoir. The head has a first ink chamber communicated to the ink feed pipe, a second ink chamber communicated to the ink discharge pipe, a third ink chamber positioned at a higher level than the first and second ink chambers for ejecting the ink for printing, a siphon pipe communicating the first and third ink chamber and having a suction opening below an ink level in the first ink chamber, and an ink outlet pipe having an outlet opening above an ink level in the second ink chamber for delivering the ink from the third ink chamber to the second ink chamber. Delicate pressure variation in the head ascribable to the movement of the head is reduced in order to maintain pressure inside the third ink chamber for ejection stable.

Abstract: In a non-impact recording apparatus that includes a plurality of recording elements, there is provided a source of first data signals representing for each of plural pixels density, size or percentage of coverage for recording. A first look-up table memory is responsive to the first data signals for adjusting the density, size or percentage coverage of each of the pixels with a gamma adjustment related to density development by the apparatus and generates multibit gamma adjusted second data signals. A second look-up table memory generates a third signal related to a characteristic of the recording elements such as for nonuniformity correction. A process look-up table memory is responsive to the gamma adjusted second data signals and the third signals for generating fourth multibit signals relating to exposure on-times for recording pixels by the recording elements. The use of the three look-up table memories results in substantial saving in memory requirements.

Abstract: In a one-pass multi-head type color thermal printer having at least first to third printing stages arranged along a transport path, slacks are provided in the recording material between the first to third printing stages. The amounts of the slacks are measured by respective slack sensors. The transporting speed of the recording material through the second printing stage is fixed at a constant value, and the transporting speeds through the first and third printing stages are controlled in accordance with the outputs from the slack sensors, so as to maintain the amounts of the slacks constant. The slacks are provided during an initial loading of the recording material by delaying starting the transport of the recording material in downstream ones of the printing stages for a time after a leading edge of the recording material moves in each of the downstream printing stages until each of the slacks reaches a predetermined amount.

Abstract: An ejector for ejecting droplets from an ink-filled reservoir is disclosed. The ejector comprises a substrate with a generally planar surface. The substrate is submerged in the reservoir so that the substrate surface is parallel to the reservoir surface at a shallow predetermined depth. On the substrate surface around a center is a plurality of concentric, circular electrodes. A coupled oscillator excites the electrodes in a temporal relationship such that the capillary waves generated at the ink reservoir surface are reinforced so that droplets may be ejected from the reservoir at the center of the electrodes.