Abstract: The method for determining the speed of printing of a fiber and the length of a printed fiber comprises: supplying ink to a nozzle; forming an ink drop at the exit of said nozzle; generating an ink jet carrying a net electrostatic charge; deflecting said ink jet periodically by one or a plurality of jet-deflection electrodes; collecting the ink jet on a substrate repetitively forming a printed motif by means of a continuous fiber; determining the width of the printed motif; calculating the speed of printing of fiber from the frequency of the jet-deflection signal and the width of the printed motif; calculating the length of fiber printed in a time interval from the frequency of the jet-deflection signal and from the width of the printed motif.

Abstract: The method for determining the speed of printing of a fiber and the length of a printed fiber comprises: supplying ink to a nozzle; forming an ink drop at the exit of said nozzle; generating an ink jet carrying a net electrostatic charge; deflecting said ink jet periodically by one or a plurality of jet-deflection electrodes; collecting the ink jet on a substrate repetitively forming a printed motif by means of a continuous fiber; determining the width of the printed motif; calculating the speed of printing of fiber from the frequency of the jet-deflection signal and the width of the printed motif; calculating the length of fiber printed in a time interval from the frequency of the jet-deflection signal and from the width of the printed motif.

Abstract: Printing device comprising an ink reservoir that supplies ink to an exit of a nozzle forming an ink drop and comprising also a power supply that creates an electrostatic field which generates an inkjet, said inkjet carrying a net electrostatic charge and being deposited on a substrate for printing a three-dimensional item by means of a continuous fiber, characterized in that the printing device also comprises one or a plurality of electrodes that deflect said inkjet from a default trajectory in a continually controlled manner through modifying the voltage applied to each jet-deflection electrode. The printing method comprises the step of deflecting said inkjet from a default trajectory by continually modifying the electrostatic field generated around the inkjet by one or a plurality of electrodes.