Abstract: This document describes a method of removing air from an ink supply of a marking system, and systems that enable such removal. The system includes a valve that is fluidly connected to an ink supply system of a marking system. The valve is fluidly positioned in a conduit that leads from an opening in a conduit of the ink supply system to an air bubble reservoir. Activating the valve withdraws air from ink in the conduit toward an air bubble reservoir or vacuum source as the ink moves toward a printhead of the marking system.

Abstract: Systems comprising: printheads configured to apply ink marks to a sheet of media; sensor(s) configured to scan the sheet of media to obtain scan data; and processor(s) configured to analyze the scan data to (i) determine whether an amount of ink spread on at least one side of the sheet of media is within a range of values, and or (ii) determine whether a difference between a first average line width associated with a first side of the sheet of media and a second average line width associated with a second side of the sheet of media is greater than a threshold value. The system is configured to perform a print job based on results of the analyzing.

Abstract: A method for operating a printing system, comprising: identifying at least one area in an electronic document for which one or more primers are to be applied prior to an application of ink on a sheet of media during a print job (wherein the primers are formulated to have different surface tensions); determining, for each pixel in the at least one area, an amount of each of the one or more primers that is to be applied based on a characteristic of content in the electronic document; generating the print job using the amount of each of the one or more primers determined for each said pixel in the at least one area; and instructing a printer to perform the print job.

Abstract: In one aspect, a print device that includes an ink line and an imaging device is configured to capture images of at least a portion of the ink line. The device is also configured to classify air pockets within the ink line by: receiving one or more images from the imaging device; using an air pocket detection model to identify an air pocket within the ink line; and using a classification model to determine one or more characteristic labels for the air pocket. The print device will use the characteristic labels to take an action corresponding to the air pocket. In a second aspect, a print device includes an ink line and a sensor configured to measure capacitance of a first portion of the ink line. The print device is configured to monitor, based on the sensor data, capacitance of the first portion of the ink line. The system will identify an air pocket in the ink line in response to detecting a decrease in the capacitance of the first portion of the ink line.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are several embodiments to facilitate the characterization of fuser stripping performance. Recognizing that the characteristics of a substrate exiting a fusing nip are indicative of the operation of the nip and the stripping operation itself, several contact and non-contact sensing methods are described to detect or predict degraded stripping performance, thereby permitting one or more compensation techniques to be employed, or to identify the need for fuser subsystem replacement.

Abstract: A fuser system of a xerographic device provides a fuser member, and a pressure member supported for pressure engagement with the fuser member. The pressure member includes an inner layer and an outer layer. The inner layer is variably pressurized for controlled change of the effective hardness of the outer layer. Controlling the effective hardness of the outer layer can be in response to the media paper weight and/or image content being processed though the xerographic device.

Abstract: A fuser system of a xerographic device provides a fuser roll, and first and second pressure rolls supported for selective engagement with the fuser roll. The fuser system further provides a repositioner which cooperates with the first and second pressure rolls for operatively selectively engaging one of the first and second pressure rolls with the fuser roll. The first pressure roll can include an outer surface having an effective modulus creating a first nip pressure, and the second pressure roll can include an outer surface having an effective modulus creating a second nip pressure. The selection of the first or second pressure roll can be in response to the media paper weight and/or image content being processed through the xerographic device.

Abstract: An offset printing apparatus for transferring a phase change ink onto a print medium having a phase change ink component for applying a phase change ink in a phase change ink image; an imaging member for accepting the phase change ink image from the phase change ink component, and transferring the phase change ink image from the imaging member to the print medium, and a transfix pressure member positioned in association with the imaging member, wherein the print medium passes through a nip formed between the imaging member and the transfix pressure member, and wherein the imaging member exerts pressure on the transfix pressure member so as to transfer and fuse the phase change ink image from the imaging member to the print medium, and further wherein the transfix pressure member includes a substrate; and an outer layer having a modulus of from about 8 to about 300 MPa, a thickness of from about 0.3 to about 10 mm, and wherein the pressure exerted at the nip is from about 750 to about 4,000 psi.

Abstract: An offset printing apparatus for transferring a phase change ink onto a print medium having a phase change ink component for applying a phase change ink in a phase change ink image; an imaging member for accepting the phase change ink image from the phase change ink component, and transferring the phase change ink image from the imaging member to the print medium, and a transfix pressure member positioned in association with the imaging member, wherein the print medium passes through a nip formed between the imaging member and the transfix pressure member, and wherein the imaging member exerts pressure on the transfix pressure member so as to transfer and fuse the phase change ink image from the imaging member to the print medium, and further wherein the transfix pressure member includes a substrate; an underlayer positioned thereon; an intermediate layer positioned on the underlayer; and an outer layer positioned on the intermediate layer and the outer layer has a modulus of from about 1 to about 50 MPa, a t

Abstract: A printing system includes first and second marking engines. First and second fusers are associated with the marking engines, respectively. The printing system has a first mode of operation in which print media is fused by both fusers and a second mode of operation in which at least a portion of the print media is fused by the second fuser, which portion has not been previously fused by the first fuser. The second fuser has first and second fuser operating modes when the printing system is in the first and second modes of operation, respectively. The second fuser applies a first energy input to the print media in the first fuser operating mode and a second energy input, different from the first energy input, to the print media in the second fuser operating mode.