Abstract: An ink jet printing method using an ink jet ejecting portion for ejecting ink on a printing material and a print quality improving liquid ejecting portion for ejecting print quality improving liquid to be ejected to the printing material, the improvement residing in that an application mode of the print quality improving liquid is different depending on a printing mode in which printing operation is carried out.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus is disclosed in which a bubble is created in ink by thermal energy generated in response to a drive signal applied to a heater, and the ink is ejected onto a recording material by expansion of the bubble. The recording apparatus includes a driving device and a changing device. The driving device applies a plurality of driving signals to the heater for each ink droplet ejection. The driving signals include a first driving signal for increasing a temperature of the ink adjacent the heater without creating the bubble, and a second driving signal after the first drive signal for ejecting the ink. An interval is provided between the first and second drive signals. The changing device changes a width of the first drive signal to adjust an amount of ejected ink. The interval is not shorter than 2.6 microseconds and the second drive signal has a constant width.

Abstract: A paper feed operation is performed by a width less than one pixel (½) in addition to an integer multiple number of pixels (n/2) with respect to a basic number of pixels inherent to an ink jet recording apparatus having a multi nozzle head having n nozzles. When a plurality of tines of pixel recording operations are performed for a single pixel region, ink dots land at a distance less than one pixel (½) at the pixel density. Thus, a variation in ink surface density on a recording sheet in an overlapping print operation is reduced, thereby efficiently increasing the image density, and preventing blurring by promoting absorption and evaporation of an ink to and from a paper sheet.

Abstract: A liquid ejection head according to the present invention includes a single liquid supplying port to which a liquid is supplied, a plurality of liquid supplying passages having one end in communication with the liquid supplying port, a plurality of common liquid chambers that are in communication with the other ends of the liquid supplying passages, respectively, and a plurality of ejection port groups which are in communication with the common liquid chambers via liquid channels and from which liquid droplets are ejected. A cross sectional area or length of the liquid supplying passage in communication with the ejection port group having a larger sum of opening areas of the ejection ports is set smaller than that of the liquid supplying passage that is in communication with the ejection port group having a smaller sum of opening areas of the ejection ports.

Abstract: An ink-jet printing apparatus and an ink-jet printing method allow the printing of an image with a high quality without causing the change in ink color coming out on the printing medium with keeping the printing conditions constantly regardless of changing the number of nozzles to be printed and the amount of transferring the printing medium, for example, by restricting the number of nozzles to be used in the printing, which belong to a nozzle row located on an upstream side in the sub-scan direction before changing the amount of transferring the printing medium; and restricting the number of nozzles to be used in the printing, which belong to the nozzle rows located on a downstream side in the sub-scan direction, after changing the amount of transferring the printing medium.

Abstract: An ink jet recording device includes a recording head having a discharge portion which has a discharge port array of discharge ports for discharging ink to a recording medium, a wiping member engageable with the discharge portion to wipe the discharge portion, and a cleaning member engageable with the wiping member to clean the wiping member, wherein a range of the discharge port array is smaller than a width of the wiping member, and the wiping member is equal to or smaller than a width of the cleaning member.

Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus comprising print means having a polarity of ejection outlet arrays each having a plurality of ejection outlets, arranged in a predetermined direction, for ejecting ink, scanning means for scanningly moving the print means relative to the print medium in a main scan direction which is different from the predetermined direction during a printing operation, and means for feeding the print medium relative to the print means in a direction which is different from the main scan direction, wherein an image is formed on the print medium while repeating scanning operation of the scanning means and feeding operation by the feeding means, includes information obtain means for obtaining image information corresponding to at least one of the ejection outlet arrays with respect to a predetermined area of image data to be printed; and selecting means for selecting such a portion in the at least one of ejection outlet arrays as is to effect printing for the image data in the predetermined area,

Abstract: A printing apparatus can reduce degradation in print quality of a printed image, notably in a highlight portion or an intermediate gradation portion in the case where the image is printed by forming dots of a plurality of sizes. Specifically, data causing larger and smaller cyan ink droplets, respectively, to be ejected are independently subjected to a conversion to n-value process. Thus, the data for larger ink droplets is present in a portion of printing data which corresponds to the highlight portion or intermediate gradation portion of the image. During printing, larger dots are formed in this area, thereby making it difficult to perceive possible stripes caused by the offset of the positions at which smaller dots impact a sheet.

Abstract: An ink jet head cartridge includes a recording head for ejecting ink; an ink container for containing the ink to be supplied to the recording head; an air venting opening for communication between the container and ambience to allow supply of the ink from the container to the recording head; wherein the air venting opening is constituted by an outside opening and an inside opening and a passage connecting them, the passage has a length larger than a thickness of the ink container.

Abstract: An ink jet printing method uses an ink jet ejecting portion for ejecting ink on a printing material and a print quality improving liquid ejecting portion for ejecting print quality improving liquid on the printing material. The application mode of the print quality improving liquid is different depending on the printing mode in which a printing operation is carried out.

Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to provide an ink-jet recording apparatus capable of reducing wasted ink during sucking operations and at the same time suppressing a frequency of recovery treatments.

Abstract: A liquid container for containing printing liquid for supplying to a recording head for an ink jet recording apparatus, the container includes a first chamber containing a negative pressure producing material and having a printing liquid supply port connectable to a recording head for allowing printing liquid to be supplied to the recording head and an air vent for allowing ambient air to enter the container, and a second chamber which provides a printing liquid reservoir for the first chamber and is substantially closed apart from a communication port communicating with the first chamber to allow the printing liquid to flow into the first chamber and to allow air to be introduced into the second chamber from the first chamber. The second chamber comprises a replaceable printing liquid chamber.

Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to provide an ink-jet recording apparatus and an eject recovery method capable of eliminating pre-ejection consuming a huge volume of ink for preventing a mixed color phenomenon. The objective is realized by an ink-jet recording apparatus having the following arrangement. First eject ports for ejecting a first ink and second eject ports for ejecting a second ink are capped by a cap. A sucking means sucks ink while the cap is capping eject ports. A controlling means controls the sucking means to suck the first and second eject ports via the cap when a communicating valve is closed, then opens the communicating valve as the cap is capping over eject ports and sucks against the cap by the sucking means, and ejects ink into the cap from the first and second eject ports simultaneously.

Abstract: An ink containing apparatus for containing ink includes a negative pressure producing material; a first container for containing the negative pressure producing material, the first container having an air vent and a supply port for supplying the ink out; a second container for containing ink; a communication part for communication between bottom portions of the first and second containers; and ribs for introducing ambient air adjacent the air vent for introducing air into the communication part.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide an ink-jet recording apparatus and an ink-jet recording method which make it possible to obtain an image featuring reduced grainy look and good gradation.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head in which a flat plate section has a recess section in its surface and an orifice plate having a plurality of openings grouped and disposed for ejecting a liquid is placed in the recess section, with the flat plate section being cleaned by a cleaning member movable perpendicularly to a direction of the disposition of the ejecting openings in a state brought into contact with a surface of the flat plate section. The recess section includes a combined curved surface made in a manner that a first curved surface having a first curvature and a second curved surface having a second curvature smaller than the first curvature are combined at a position corresponding to the deepest portion of the recess section. At this time, the first curved surface is located on the upstream side of the second curved surface in a cleaning direction of the cleaning member, and the combined curved surface extends in the disposition direction of said ejecting openings.

Abstract: A slit extending from a waste ink inlet position (indicated by a cross mark) in one direction is formed in a waste ink absorber of the waste ink tank. Thereby, the leakage of waste ink from a waste ink storage is avoidable by the improvement in the waste ink absorbing performance through a simple and inexpensive constitution.

Abstract: An ink containing apparatus for containing ink includes a negative pressure producing material; a first container for containing the negative pressure producing material, the first container having an air vent and a supply port for supplying the ink out; a second container for containing ink; a communication part for communication between bottom portions of the first and second containers; and ribs for introducing ambient air adjacent the air vent for introducing air into the communication part.

Abstract: A recording method includes the steps of ejecting ink onto a recording material on the basis of image data; and ejecting record quality improving liquid to improve a record quality of the ink ejected onto the recording material; wherein one of the ink ejecting step and the liquid ejecting step is carried out after the other; the liquid ejecting step ejects the liquid to a part of an ink-ejection-area on the recording material to provide liquid-ejection-area and non-liquid-ejection-area.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus comprises an ink jet recording head provided with a plurality of recording elements for generating energy to be utilized for discharging ink, a plurality of flow paths for retaining ink to receive the energy, a plurality of ink discharge ports for discharging ink, and a plurality of recording element substrates, and a cap member for capping the discharge ports of the ink jet recording head. For this recording apparatus, the plurality of recording element substrates, the thickness of one recording element substrate of which is different from that of the other recording element substrate, are arranged adjacent to each other on a substantially even flat plane, and the cap member is made capable of capping the discharge ports of the plurality of recording element bases plates altogether on the substantially even flat plane.