Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus, which records a image on a recording medium using a recording head provided with a plurality of ink discharge ports, comprises a rotative platen having a plurality of supporting pieces arranged at predetermined intervals; rotation means for rotating the platen; conveyance means for conveying the recording medium; control means for controlling the rotation means to rotate the platen in the conveying direction of the recording medium in synchronism with the conveyance of the recording medium when recording is performed near the edge of the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance means. With the structure thus arrange, this ink jet recording apparatus is capable of performing the entire area recording (no margin recording) on a recording medium without staining the platen that supports the recording medium at the time of recording.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus, which records a image on a recording medium using a recording head provided with a plurality of ink discharge ports, comprises a rotative platen having a plurality of supporting pieces arranged at predetermined intervals; rotation means for rotating the platen; conveyance means for conveying the recording medium; control means for controlling the rotation means to rotate the platen in the conveying direction of the recording medium in synchronism with the conveyance of the recording medium when recording is performed near the edge of the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance means. With the structure thus arrange, this ink jet recording apparatus is capable of performing the entire area recording (no margin recording) on a recording medium without staining the platen that supports the recording medium at the time of recording.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus, which records a image on a recording medium using a recording head provided with a plurality of ink discharge ports, comprises a rotative platen having a plurality of supporting pieces arranged at predetermined intervals; rotation means for rotating the platen; conveyance means for conveying the recording medium; control means for controlling the rotation means to rotate the platen in the conveying direction of the recording medium in synchronism with the conveyance of the recording medium when recording is performed near the edge of the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance means. With the structure thus arrange, this ink jet recording apparatus is capable of performing the entire area recording (no margin recording) on a recording medium without staining the platen that supports the recording medium at the time of recording.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus, which records a image on a recording medium using a recording head provided with a plurality of ink discharge ports, comprises a rotative platen having a plurality of supporting pieces arranged at predetermined intervals; rotation means for rotating the platen; conveyance means for conveying the recording medium; control means for controlling the rotation means to rotate the platen in the conveying direction of the recording medium in synchronism with the conveyance of the recording medium when recording is performed near the edge of the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance means. With the structure thus arrange, this ink jet recording apparatus is capable of performing the entire area recording (no margin recording) on a recording medium without staining the platen that supports the recording medium at the time of recording.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus, which records a image on a recording medium using a recording head provided with a plurality of ink discharge ports, includes a rotative platen having a plurality of supporting pieces arranged at predetermined intervals; a rotation unit for rotating the platen; a conveyance units for conveying the recording medium; a control unit for controlling the rotation unit to rotate the platen in the conveying direction of the recording medium in synchronism with the conveyance of the recording medium when recording is performed near the edge of the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance unit. With the structure thus arranged, this ink jet recording apparatus is capable of performing the entire area recording (no margin recording) on a recording medium without staining the platen that supports the recording medium at the time of recording.

Abstract: A printing head has a plurality of heater boards, each of which includes a shift register to which printing data and selection data for selecting preheating pulse signals are applied as inputs, a latch circuit for latching the printing data, a selection-data latch circuit for latching the selection data, a selection circuit for selecting any one of a plurality of preheating pulse signals inputted in accordance with the latched selection data, and a plurality of heating resistors driven by the printing data or preheating pulse signals. Correction data, obtained by a head correcting apparatus, for performing printing at an average density by correcting the characteristics of each heater board is stored in a memory of the printing head. A printing apparatus decides the selection data in accordance with the correction data and sets the selection data in the selection-data latch circuit.

Abstract: A printing head has a plurality of heater boards, each of which includes a shift register to which printing data and selection data for selecting preheating pulse signals are applied as inputs, a latch circuit for latching the printing data, a selection-data latch circuit for latching the selection data, a selection circuit for selecting any one of a plurality of preheating pulse signals inputted in accordance with the latched selection data, and a plurality of heating resistors driven by the printing data or preheating pulse signals. Correction data, obtained by a head correcting apparatus, for performing printing at an average density by correcting the characteristics of each heater board is stored in a memory of the printing head. A printing apparatus decides the selection data in accordance with the correction data and sets the selection data in the selection-data latch circuit.

Abstract: A printing head has a plurality of heater boards, each of which includes a shift register to which printing data and selection data for selecting preheating pulse signals are applied as inputs, a latch circuit for latching the printing data, a selection-data latch circuit for latching the selection data, a selection circuit for selecting any one of a plurality of preheating pulse signals inputted in accordance with the latched selection data, and a plurality of heating resistors driven by the printing data or preheating pulse signals. Correction data, obtained by a head correcting apparatus, for performing printing at an average density by correcting the characteristics of each heater board is stored in a memory of the printing head. A printing apparatus decides the selection data in accordance with the correction data and sets the selection data in the selection-data latch circuit.

Abstract: An ink jet printer having an ink jet head is disclosed. The ink jet head includes a plurality of electrothermal transducers for producing thermal energy used to eject ink from the ink jet head. The ink jet printer has a storing device which stores image data used to drive the electrothermal transducers and a switching device which switches energization periods for the electrothermal transducers in accordance with the image data stored in the storing device. The printer operates so that during a recording operation, when an image datum stored in the storing device instructs recording, the switching device supplies a first drive signal for preliminary ink heating and a second drive signal for ejecting the ink. When the image datum stored in the storing device is datum not instructing recording, the switching device supplies the first drive signal and does not supply the second drive signal.

Abstract: A printing head has a plurality of heater boards, each of which includes a shift register to which printing data and selection data for selecting preheating pulse signals are applied as inputs, a latch circuit for latching the printing data, a selection-data latch circuit for latching the selection data, a selection circuit for selecting any one of a plurality of preheating pulse signals inputted in accordance with the latched selection data, and a plurality of heating resistors driven by the printing data or preheating pulse signals. Correction data, obtained by a head correcting apparatus, for performing printing at an average density by correcting the characteristics of each heater board is stored in a memory of the printing head. A printing apparatus decides the selection data in accordance with the correction data and sets the selection data in the selection-data latch circuit.

Abstract: A recording head system for an ink jet recording apparatus having a full-line recording head. The recording head is divided into a variable number of blocks. The recording ratio of each block (that is, the ratio of the number of ink ejecting elements to be driven in a block in accordance with recording data to the total number of the ink ejecting elements in the block) is compared with a reference recording ratio. When the recording ratio is greater than the reference recording ratio, the interval between the drive timing of a block and that of the next block is lengthened, or vise versa. This is performed by controlling the enable timing of each block by D-flip-flops, AND gates and delay circuits. Unevenness of recorded images resulting from the fluctuation in periodic ink pressure can be ameliorated.

Abstract: A printer requires no print buffer in a printer engine, and can efficiently use an image memory for bit-mapping print data into a print image. An enable signal for designating transfer of data for one page from a formatter to the engine is output in response to a request signal from the engine for requesting transmission of print data for one line. When a clock signal for requesting transfer of print data is output from the engine to the formatter in response to this enable signal, print image data is transferred from the formatter to the engine in synchronism with the clock signal and further transferred to a printhead to print an image. As to the nozzles, on the right and left ends of the printhead, which are not used for a print operation, a right margin area and a nozzle area used for a print operation are set in a data transfer circuit.

Abstract: This invention not only separates printing and barcode checking as independent processes but also simplifies printer processing to allow to print a large number of barcodes at high speed and to satisfactorily check barcodes. For this purpose, when a print control circuit unit (501) receives print information including a barcode, information associated with barcode checking is transmitted to a barcode checker unit (601) prior to printing. Upon actually printing an image including a barcode, when the printed barcode is conveyed to the position of a reader (603) in the barcode checker unit (601), an RD.sub.-- TRG signal is output to check the printed barcode. Upon reception of this signal, the barcode checker unit (601) reads the printed barcode a plurality of number of times at different positions, and when the normal reading ratio is low, it outputs an error signal to the print control circuit unit (501).

Abstract: To record a multi-valued image by an ink-jet head, an ink droplet is jetted from a recording element (nozzle) for the number of times corresponding to the density of a pixel to be reproduced. Accordingly, the pixel data to determine the number of ink-jet operation is expressed by a plurality of bits and the data of each bit are transferred to a plurality of shift registers at a time. Each shift register has storage capacity based on bit data corresponding to the number of recording elements of a recording head. When data transfer is completed, a driving signal is supplied to the recording head. The driving signals are counted and each recording element is driven based on the count result and the data stored in each register.

Abstract: A printer includes a full-line type printhead which can correct variations in the ink discharge amounts from the respective nozzles, and density unevenness of a printed image due to variations in the operations of many driving circuits in the printhead and changes in the internal temperature or a temperature gradient of the printhead, and can obtain a high-quality printed image without density unevenness in consideration of the print conditions and changes in operation environmental temperature. A pre-heating operation is performed by selecting an optimal pre-pulse signal for each nozzle of the printhead on the basis of information stored in an EEPROM of the printhead and pre-pulse selection data associated with each nozzle of the printhead. A heat signal is also generated to obtain a main pulse suitable for each IC of a printhead corresponding to an ink of each color. In addition, the internal temperature of the printhead or printing density information from the printhead is monitored.

Abstract: In a color printer, in order to perform a high-speed print operation and ensure a refresh operation and the like of an image memory, print images which correspond to a plurality of printheads, and are bitmapped and stored in a bitmap RAM in units of colors are consecutively read out and DMA-transferred by 16 bits at a time when a read operation is designated. After this DMA operation, the refresh operation of the bitmap RAM or access to the RAM is permitted. The printer includes the same number of latch circuits as that of printheads (e.g., four). Each latch circuit stores a data transfer start address (TOPA) and a data transfer end address (ENDA) in the bitmap RAM. With this arrangement, image data can be efficiently read out. If the capacity of the bitmap RAM is small, an upper address bit in the bitmap RAM is shifted to switch discontinuous addresses to continuous addresses on the bitmap memory side.

Abstract: A printing apparatus is capable of freely selecting a plurality of sheet feeding units each having a different controlling method. It is discriminated as to which one among plural kinds of sheet feeding units is fitted, and printing and a motor for a sheet feeding-unit are controlled based on the result of the discrimination from an output from a sensor disposed on the sheet feeding unit. Especially, in the case that a roll shaped paper feeding unit is fitted, it is judged that a printing medium reaches the position where printing can be started when a TOF sensor detects black color, and in the case that a cut sheet feeding unit is fitted, it is judged that the recording medium reaches the position where printing can be started when the TOF sensor detects white color.

Abstract: A liquid injection recording head includes an integrated drive circuit a recording current energization time for electrothermal conversion elements. The setting circuit has a counter. The recording current energization time data can be set in the counter in the setting circuit in synchronism with a signal obtained by frequency-dividing a recording data transfer clock or with this clock signal supplied to a circuit arranged in the integrated drive circuit to align recording data.

Abstract: A recording head has a substrate on which a plurality of heat generating elements as recording elements are arranged and a plurality of driving integrated circuits (driving ICs) to drive the plurality of heat generating elements are supported. The recording head comprises wirings which are extended from the heat generating elements and pass through a region on the substrate on which the driving ICs are supported and are connected to the driving ICs; signal series wirings which are arranged on the heat generating element side of the substrate, are closer to the heat generating elements than terminals for the wiring connection, and serially connect the driving ICs; and conductors which are formed in a region on the substrate between the adjacent driving ICs and connect recording current to the ground.

Abstract: A driving integrated circuit for a recording head, is carried on the recording head on which a plurality of recording elements are mounted. The recording elements are selectively driven in accordance with an input recording data signal and a control signal. At least a portion of transmission paths of the input recording data signal and the control signal has bidirectivity.