Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus includes a printing head operable to emit ink onto a printing sheet, the printing head being movable along a first direction; a sheet transporter operable to transport the printing sheet along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a head moving mechanism operable to reciprocally move the printing head along the first direction; and a controller which controls the sheet transporter and the head moving mechanism to execute a first printing mode of moving the printing head while holding the printing sheet in a stationary position and a second printing mode of moving the printing sheet while holding the printing head at a stationary position.

Abstract: An ink jet head having a plurality of ink flow path walls forming a plurality of ink pathways by joining said plurality of ink flow path walls to a substrate for an ink jet head, said plurality of ink flow path walls being tightly bonded to said substrate without being debonded even in the case of continuously operating the ink jet head over a long period of time using highly alkaline ink.

Abstract: In a color ink jet recording system for performing color image recording on a recording medium using a plurality of recording heads and different color inks, the thinning ratio for at least one (e.g., black K) of the recording heads is set to be different from the thinning ratio for the remaining recording heads (e.g., cyan C, and the like). The total implantation quantity of the black ink can be twice the normal quantity without increasing the number of times of scan operations, and without causing boundary blur, and the print density of black can be increased.

Abstract: A substrate for liquid jet recording head including an electrothermal converting body comprising a heat generating resistor capable of generating thermal energy and a pair of wirings electrically connected to said heat generating resistor, characterized in that said substrate includes a base member constituted by a polycrystalline material such as a polycrystalline silicon material or the like, a process for producing this substrate, a liquid jet recording head in which said substrate, and a liquid jet recording apparatus in which said recording head is used.A desirable recording head which is free of a warpage or a curved portion and which provides a high quality recorded image can be produced by using said base member. Further, a desirable recording apparatus which enables to record a high quality image at a high recording speed. In the process of producing said substrate, the surface of the polycrystalline base member is thermally oxidized to provide a surface excelling in flatness.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an ink-jet printing method by ejecting an ink from an orifice of a printing head in accordance with a printing signal to conduct printing on a printing material, comprising using an ink having a pH value (pH.sub.A) at which the absorbance of the ink becomes a half of the absorbance at the pH in the stable region of the ink on an absorbance curve according to a pH change and a printing material comprising a base material and a coating layer provided thereon having a surface pH value of pH.sub.B, with pH.sub.A and pH.sub.B satisfying the relationshippH.sub.A <pH.sub.B.

Abstract: An ink jet head comprises parts for holding liquid ink, the parts being sealed with a moisture-curing sealant composed mainly of an organic high polymer compound having an alkoxysilane moiety represented by Formula (1) in the molecule thereof: ##STR1## where X is hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl or halogen; R is methyl, ethyl or propyl; and n is 1, 2 or 3.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head manufacturing method for manufacturing ink jet recording head having an ink passage, wherein a droplet of ink is ejected through the passage from an ink ejection outlet at an end of a passage onto a recording material. Ions are injected into a surface having the ink ejection outlet to change a surface property of the surface.

Abstract: An ink jet printer includes a movable carriage supported above an ink-receiving medium by a rail defining a carriage axis, with a cartridge holder mounted on said carriage having a plurality of cartridge compartments each receiving a respective thermal ink jet printer cartridge. Each cartridge is provided with three datum surfaces located on the perimeter of a sidewall of the cartridge, and sufficiently spaced apart from each other and from the center of gravity of the cartridge to provide accurate and stable alignment. More particularly, the nozzle plate of the cartridge is attached to a lower surface of snout portion such that the Y axis of the nozzle plate is substantially parallel to the first sidewall, with the first and second datum surfaces at the front and rear of a lower end of the ink reservoir portion straddling the snout and the third datum surface at an upper end of the ink reservoir portion.

Abstract: A nozzle plate has a repellent film formed on or over a nozzle sheet. The repellent film is made by adding an emulsion polymer ultraviolet ray absorbent agent to a fluorine-based polymer. In this nozzle plate, an out-of-roundness of a nozzle formed on the repellent film side of the nozzle plate is smaller, so that variations in the propulsion direction of the ejected ink drops are reduce. Particularly, when the weight percentage of the emulsion polymer ultraviolet ray absorbent agent exceeds 20%, the shape of the nozzle hole formed on the water and oil repellent film side of the nozzle plate has a roundness of 2 .mu.m or less. Accordingly, few variations in the propulsion direction of the ejected ink drops occur, providing superior print quality.

Abstract: The valving assembly includes an ink container, a valve body, a rotatable valve having a conduit, a receptacle configured to mate with the conduit and a rotatable valve actuator. The ink container is mounted to the valve body that receives the rotatable valve therein. The valve is rotatable into a position that permits ink to flow from the container. The valve is firmly held against the valve body to prevent leaks from the closed valve. The container, valve and valve body are all formed of the same plastic material, thereby to facilitate recycling of the ink container with its valve.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus for expelling an ink from a print head (1) toward a recording medium (2) to form an image thereon has a fixing solution head (10) for forming on the recording medium (2) a dye acceptor layer composed of an intercalation compound which fixes and holds a dye of the ink by way of an intercalation. The fixing solution head (10) expels a solution (fixing solution) containing the intercalation compound. The ink jet recording apparatus is capable of forming images of excellent water resistance and light resistance.

Abstract: An ink jet recording method for performing a recording operation by discharging an ink droplet composed of an ink composition containing a pigment, a water soluble resin for dispersing the pigment and water to a recording member, on which data is recorded, the ink jet recording method comprising a step of supplying a solution containing particles and/or binder polymer on to the recording member, prior to discharging the ink. An apparatus for practicing the ink jet recording method of the present invention has a plurality of heads that discharge the ink, by supplying energy to the ink, and the solution containing particles and/or binder polymer.

Abstract: The present invention has as its object to detect the termination of ink reliably and highly accurately in an ink jet recording apparatus. An ink cartridge 2 has an opening 5 for connection to a recording head 1, and is comprised of a negative pressure generating member containing portion 14 containing a negative pressure generating member 13 and having an atmosphere communicating port 10, and an ink containing portion 16 which is adjacent to the negative pressure generating member containing portion 14 and communicates therewith at the bottom 11 of the ink cartridge. Ink detecting means 3 is provided below the ink containing portion 16. When the detecting means 3 detects a reduction in the remain in the ink containing portion 16, ink remains only in the negative pressure generating member containing portion 14 and the remainder can be substantially estimated.

Abstract: An improved media-width phase-change ink-jet print had (102) maintains a uniform temperature across its width to produce consistent drop mass and uniform print quality. The print head uses a heater (120) including two separately controlled, overlapping heating zones (154). The heating zones produce heat gradients (170, 172) that have maximum outputs toward opposing edges (168a, 168b) of the print head and are controlled in response to thermistors (138s, 168b) positioned at the corresponding edges. The two heating zones together produce a linear heat gradient (180) across the print heat to compensate for uneven head-to-drum spacing (166) and other unsymmetrical thermal loads on the print head. The improved print head also includes baffles (192) that reduce air flow between the head and the attached reservoir (118), and thermal breaks (218) that insulate the section (220) of the head that includes the jets from the thermal gradients at the edges of the print head.

Abstract: A multi-color ink-jet printing system includes a printing element for applying a precisely metered quantity of a colorless precursor in a binary or ternary chemical reaction to a precisely defined printing location on a recording medium surface. The precursor conditions the medium surface prior to application of one or more colorants to the recording medium surface to prevent recording medium cockle and curl, and to reduce dry time, while conditioning the recording medium surface for uniform dot gain independent of media composition. The precursor also immobilizes the colorants on the recording medium surface to enable one-pass, multi-color printing, while eliminating color bleed.

Abstract: An ink jet recording method in which an ink jet recording is carried out using an ink jet recording head having a heat generating resistor layer for generating thermal energy, an electrode layer for supplying an electric signal to the heat generating resister layer to actuate it, a single silicon substrate having a width not less than 30 mm, on which the heat generating resistor layer and the electrode layer are formed, a liquid passage for supplying liquid to the heat generating resistor layer, and an ejection outlet for ejecting the liquid, the improvement residing in that a recording width of the substrate is not less than 30 mm;W.times.tp.times.f.times.k<1.30is satisfied, where W is electric energy (W) supplied to the heat generating resistor, tp is a driving pulse width (sec) and f is a driving frequency (Hz), and k is recording density (dots/mm).

Abstract: Molded inkjet modules having still closed nozzles are coated with a polymer solution, preferably a PEEK solution. By means of Eximer laser radiation of a definite wavelength the nozzle ports extending through the PEEK layer and the layer of channel formation material (14 and 16) are formed by application of the laser ablation mask process. Then the surface of the PEEK layer is irradiated with a considerably reduced laser intensity (11) using the same wavelength as in the ablation process. The desired contact angle can be set in response to the irradiation.

Abstract: Nonmagnetized permanent magnet material is heated in a pattern by a laser beam to a localized temperature above the Curie point or a temperature sufficient to reduce the coercivity sufficiently for an external field to magnetize the pattern in the direction of the field. Magnets so produced can have very high pole density, digital encoding and analog patterns having gradually varying local field strength. Alternating pole magnets of this type can be used for stepper motor magnets.

Abstract: An ink jet printing method includes supplying at least two types of inks on a cloth such that the two types of inks overlap, wherein the cloth contains fibers which can be dyed with disperse dye, the two types of inks at least contain pigments, a compound for dispersing the pigments and an aqueous liquid medium, and the pigments are selected from a specific group of pigments.

Abstract: An ink container has an atmosphere communicating section for placing the inside of the container in communication with the atmosphere. The atmosphere communicating section has a plurality of chambers, one of which communicates with the inside of the ink container, and another of which communicates with the atmosphere. Each chamber communicates with another chamber through a port smaller than the chamber. Preferably, the plurality of chambers are disposed in a direction intersecting a direction from the interior to the exterior of the ink container and the opening in the chambers are positioned such that they are shifted from each other. This arrangement prevents ink leakage through the atmosphere communicating section and eliminates a general feeling of anxiety on the part of users deriving from the possibility of having their hands and clothes soiled with spilt ink. It also inhibits ink evaporation.