Abstract: The manner in which power is supplied to the firing elements of an ink jet printhead is improved by moving a power supply capacitor from the printer to the print head cartridge to improve the regulation of the supply of power to the firing elements of the print head cartridge. The capacitor can be attached to the tab circuit with solder or other wire bonding techniques. Placing the capacitor on the print head cartridge reduces the impedance between the capacitor and the print head, allows the capacitor to be matched to the print head cartridge firing requirements, allows remote voltage sensing at the print head, provides better voltage regulation at the print head and reduces the likelihood the printhead electronics will be damaged due to voltage spiking.

Abstract: A method of printing on a print medium with a printer which is in communication with a host computer includes the steps of providing the host computer with a print job to be printed by the printer, identifying a data format associated with the print job, determining an operating system stored in the printer, comparing the data format with the printer operating system, downloading an operating system which corresponds to the data format from the host computer to the printer if the printer operating system does not correspond to the data format, transmitting print data associated with the print job from the host computer to the printer, and printing on the print medium with the printer using the print data.

Abstract: The manner in which power is supplied to the firing elements of an ink jet printhead is improved by moving a power supply capacitor from the printer to the print head cartridge to improve the regulation of the supply of power to the firing elements of the print head cartridge. The capacitor can be attached to the tab circuit with solder or other wire bonding techniques. Placing the capacitor on the print head cartridge reduces the impedance between the capacitor and the print head, allows the capacitor to be matched to the print head cartridge firing requirements, allows remote voltage sensing at the print head, provides better voltage regulation at the print head and reduces the likelihood the printhead electronics will be damaged due to voltage spiking.

Abstract: An encoder including a light source for emitting light, a photodetector for detecting at least part of the light emitted by the light source, and an encoder film including a plurality of alternating bars and windows and being located between the light source and the photodetector. The encoder includes a mask including a plurality of alternating bars and windows, the mask being located between the light source and the photodetector. The encoder further includes a spacer located between the mask and the encoder film, the encoder film contacting the spacer to maintain a predetermined spacing between the mask and the encoder film.

Abstract: The invention described in the specification relates to an ink jet printer with multiple print heads that allows for the less restrictive installation of print head cartridges. The print head carriers are designed so that any of a variety of different types of print head cartridges can be inserted into any of the print head carriers. When image data is received, the ink jet printer's processor determines the appropriate type of print head cartridge that should be used to print the image data. Information electronically stored on the print head cartridges in the form of a read-only memory (ROM), bar code, or optical LED's, identifies the type of each print head cartridge. The printer processor examines this identification information on the installed print head cartridges to determine if one of the print head carriers contains the desired type of print head cartridge.