Abstract: A maintenance device includes a wiper that wipes a liquid ejecting unit; a double rack member which includes a rack sections made up of a first rack section and a second rack section and is configured to reciprocate the wiper; and an intermittent gear which includes a teeth portion which meshes with one of the two rack sections and a toothless portion which is arranged in line with the teeth portion in a rotation direction, wherein the double rack member allows the wiper to perform a forward motion when the first rack section meshes with the intermittent gear, and allows the wiper to perform a backward motion when the second rack section meshes with the intermittent gear.

Abstract: A water-based ink for ink jet recording contains a colorant containing a dye; water; an anionic zirconium complex ion; and a surfactant represented by the formula (1) in the formula (1): R1 is an alkyl group having 12 to 18 carbon atoms or an R4—CO—NH group (R4 is an alkyl group having 12 carbon atoms); each of R2 and R3 is a methyl group or a hydroxyethyl group; and R2 and R3 may be identical to or different from each other. Chromaticness of a recorded matter is improved without any increase in dye concentration.

Abstract: An apparatus, method and non-transitory computer readable medium for printing on a profile of a printing medium having an irregular surface are disclosed. For example, the apparatus includes a print bar having one or more print heads, a shuttle, a loading carriage for holding the printing medium, wherein the loading carriage is coupled to the shuttle, a profile template coupled to the loading carriage via a cam follower and a controller coupled to the print bar and the shuttle, wherein the controller controls movement of the shuttle to cause the cam follower to move the loading carriage along a path that follows the profile of the printing medium and maintain a minimum print head gap during printing between the one or more print heads and the profile of the printing medium.

Abstract: A liquid-consuming apparatus includes: a tank including a liquid chamber, an upstanding wall facing a particular direction, and an inlet formed in a surface of the tank; a liquid-consuming unit consuming liquid stored in the liquid chamber; a cover rotatable between a covering position where the upstanding wall is covered with the cover and an exposure position where the upstanding wall is exposed, around a rotation axis extending in a further direction; and a casing including an engaging target part which holds the cover in the covering position, and supporting the tank, liquid-consuming unit, and cover. The cover includes: an engaging part to engage with the engaging target part in the state that the cover is in the covering position; and a tab which is subjected to an operation for releasing an engagement between the engaging part and the engaging target part.

Abstract: A recording position control device includes head units, edge sensors, head movers, a controller, and a timer. The controller performs an original-point determination operation of moving the head units to an original point and to control the head movers to move the head units in a direction to correct meandering of a recording medium. The controller performs a second round of the original-point determination operation after performing a first round of the original-point determination operation. The timer measures, as a measurement time period, a time period from when the controller issues an execution command of the second round to when the controller receives a completion status of the second round. In a case in which the measurement time period is equal to or shorter than a first threshold time period, the controller determines that the original-point determination operation of the head units has failed to be normally executed.

Abstract: An ink supply apparatus is an apparatus for supplying ink to a printer, the printer including a holder provided with an ink receiving part. The ink supply apparatus includes an ink supply passage member connected to the ink receiving part, and an ink container in fluid communication with the ink receiving part through the ink supply passage member. The ink container including an ink discharge port at an upper portion thereof.

Abstract: A fluid ejection device includes a body defining an interior bore, a fluid reservoir, and a fluid ejection chip. The fluid reservoir defines an interior passage that receives a fluid, the interior passage in fluid communication with the interior bore of the body. The fluid ejection chip is coupled with the body and includes one or more fluid ejection actuators. The fluid ejection chip has one or more interior fluid paths in fluid communication with the interior bore of the body so that the fluid ejection chip ejects the fluid upon activation of the one or more fluid ejection actuators. The interior passage of the fluid reservoir and the one or more interior fluid paths are substantially devoid of obstructions such that the fluid is gravity fed to the fluid ejection chip upon entry into the interior passage of the fluid reservoir.

Abstract: A method of printing includes directing print media to a print zone between a printhead and a platen for printing; and adjusting a spacing between the printhead and the platen based on a combination of at least two of environmental conditions of the printing, a print mode of the printing, an orientation of the print media for the printing, and a characteristic of the print media for the printing.

Abstract: A printing device for providing multiple documents of one type includes a data receiving portion for receiving an image data, a processor, and a printing module. The processor is used to process the image data to generate a first printing information and a second printing information. The printing module is used to print a first document and a second document according to the first and second printing information, respectively. The first printing information includes the image data and a first identifying information, and the second printing information includes the image data and a second identifying information different from the first identifying information. The first identifying information is composed of a first set of halftone pattern, a first set of lines or a combining information thereof. The second identifying information is composed of a second set of halftone pattern, a second set of lines or a combining information thereof.

Abstract: A print head apparatus is provided for use with a xerographic printing device having a rotating photoreceptor with a curved conductive surface. The apparatus includes an LED bar print head configured for locating adjacent the photoreceptor; a first distance sensor located on the print head at a first location, the first distance sensor being configured for measuring a first gap between the print head and the photoreceptor at the first location; and a second distance sensor located on the print head at a second location, the second location being different from the first location, the second distance sensor being configured for measuring a second gap between the print head and the photoreceptor at the second location. The print head is configured such that the sensors are arranged on the print head such that the sensors are configured to enable a measurement of angular position of the print head relative to the surface of the photoreceptor.

Abstract: The sheet conveying apparatus includes a conveying belt including a placement area having a suction hole, and configured to convey a sheet with a vacuum force from the suction hole, a sheet supply unit capable of supplying a sheet to a supply position of the sheet with respect to the conveying belt; and a control unit configured to control the conveying belt so as to further move the conveying belt after the conveying belt conveys a last sheet to be conveyed. The control unit causes the conveying belt to wait after moving the placement area to a predetermined position in an area from a position in an upstream direction with respect to the moving direction of the conveying belt to the supply position in a conveying amount of the conveying belt corresponding to a time required for the sheet supply unit to convey a next first sheet to the supply position.

Abstract: A method of compensating for an inoperable inkjet in an inkjet printer that forms printed images with multiple drop sizes has been developed. The method includes identifying at least one neighboring pixel in a region of multi-bit halftoned image data around a pixel corresponding to the inoperable inkjet and modifying the at least one neighboring pixel to enable an inkjet that neighbors the inoperable inkjet to eject an ink drop during printing operation to compensate for the inoperable inkjet.

Abstract: The optical scanning apparatus correctly measures a gap between the laser beams of a plurality of the laser beams even when the scanning speed is changed and when the variation is caused, rightly corrects the variation. Thus, the optical scanning apparatus inputs detection signal BD_IN to the edge detecting unit at timing at which the laser beam is detected. During the enable gating, the count value representing the distance between the head laser beam and the end laser beam is counted in the counting unit. A plurality of speed ratio parameters according to the degree of changes in the scanning speed is input in the selector. The selector selects any one of the speed ratio parameters and multiplies by the count value by the multiplier, it is controlled to obtain the same multiplication result whichever scanning speed may be selected.

Abstract: An ink container, adapted to supply an ink composition to an ink jet recording apparatus including a recording head for discharging the ink composition, includes an ink chamber containing the ink composition, the ink chamber including a wall defining the ink chamber and a support connected to an inside of the wall to support the wall; and an ink pouring port through which the ink composition is poured into the ink chamber, in which, in a use state of the ink container, in a case where the ink chamber is filled with the ink up to 50% of the volume thereof, an area of the support in contact with the ink composition is larger than an area of the support in contact with atmosphere.

Abstract: The carriage of a line printer has a head unit that supports a printhead, and a carriage frame that supports the head unit movably up and down. When moving the carriage from a standby position to an opposing position, the carriage is moved while the head unit is held at a up position where the gap to the platen unit is a first distance. The head unit is then lowered at the standby position from the up position to a down position where the platen gap is a second distance that is shorter than the first distance.

Abstract: A cutting device includes a cutting blade, a receiving block, a motor, a cutting blade movement mechanism, and a receiving block movement mechanism. The cutting blade includes a blade portion. The receiving block includes a contact surface including a first contact surface and a second contact surface. The motor is configured to rotate in a forward direction and a reverse direction. The cutting blade movement mechanism supports the cutting blade and is configured to move the cutting blade between a separated position and a contact position in concert with a rotation of the motor when the motor rotates in a forward direction and when the motor rotates in a reverse direction. The receiving block movement mechanism is configured to move the receiving block from a first opposed position to a second opposed position in concert with the rotation of the motor.

Abstract: There is provided a recording method, in which a glitter pigment ink and a clear ink containing substantially no color material is used with respect to a coated paper or a film, including: at least one of (A) primarily-applying the clear ink before applying the glitter pigment ink and (B) applying the clear ink in the same scanning at the time of applying the glitter pigment ink; and (C) secondarily-applying the clear ink after applying the glitter pigment ink.

Abstract: A laminated nozzle assembly is provided. The laminated nozzle includes a first end plate having a first fluid inlet and a second fluid inlet, a second end plate, a plurality of nozzle plates positioned and clamped between the first end plate and the second end plate, a first fluid conduit in fluid communication with the first fluid inlet formed in one or more of the nozzle plates, a second fluid conduit in fluid communication with the second fluid inlet formed in one or more of the nozzle plates, a first orifice in fluid communication with the first fluid conduit formed in one of the nozzle plates, and a second orifice in fluid communication with the second fluid conduit formed in the same nozzle plate as the first orifice. The laminated nozzle assembly minimizes the number of nozzle plates and includes no more than eight, and preferably no more than five nozzle plates.

Abstract: A liquid supply system adapted to be mounted in a carriage unit having a first liquid introduction portion and a second liquid introduction portion is proposed. The liquid supply system comprises two liquid supply units each having liquid supply portion adapted to liquid to the first and second liquid introduction portions, respectively. The two liquid supply units are adapted to be attached to and detached from the carriage unit. The liquid supply system further comprises a holder unit adapted to be attached to and detached from the carriage unit and adapted to fix the two liquid supply units to the carriage unit. The two liquid supply units are located between the holder unit and the carriage unit.

Abstract: An inkjet printing method includes providing an inkjet composition, which includes a radiation curable monomer or oligomer, a photo-initiator, and an inhibitor present in an amount sufficient to prevent full curing of the radiation curable monomer or oligomer during an initial exposure to a curing energy. First drops of the inkjet composition are deposited onto a substrate. The curing energy is selected such that it is sufficient to substantially consume the inhibitor. The first drops are exposed to the curing energy, whereby the first drops retain substantially a same surface tension as a liquid drop of the inkjet composition. Second drops of the inkjet composition are deposited adjacent to the first drops. The first and second drops are exposed to the curing energy, whereby the first drops are at least partially cured and the second drops retain substantially the same surface tension as a liquid drop of the inkjet composition.