Abstract: A container for containing printing liquid for supplying to an ink jet head for an ink jet recording apparatus. The container includes a first chamber containing negative pressure producing material and having an air vent communicating with ambient air and a supply port for supplying printing liquid to the ink jet head. The container also includes a second chamber communicating with the first chamber via a communication port and providing a printing liquid reservoir for the first chamber. The capillary force provided by the negative pressure producing material adjacent a wall extending from the communication port and decreasing in a direction perpendicular to and towards the wall at least adjacent a part of the communication port which is uppermost in use of the container.

Abstract: In an ink jet head having an ink discharge head for discharging an ink, and a liquid discharge head for discharging a print improving liquid given to a printing medium for improving printability in ink jet printing, the liquid discharge head 2002 is disposed to be sandwiched between colored discharge heads 2001 and 2003 for discharging at least one set of colored inks with respect to a scanning direction. This provides an ink jet head for optimally utilizing a pre-feed technique and/or a follow feed technique in ink jet printing.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus including a recording head for performing print recording by ejecting ink from an ejection orifice by thermal energy; temperature sensors provided in the recording head; a temperature calculation device for calculating a temperature change of the recording head in a unit time as a discrete value on the basis of the supply of energy input to the recording head, and for calculating the temperature change of the recording head by accumulating the discrete value in the unit time; a temperature presuming device for presuming a head temperature by both a calculated value of the temperature change and an adopted base value of the head temperature; a detection device for detecting a difference between the head presumed temperature and a detected temperature sensed by the temperature sensors; an update device for updating the adopted base value of the head temperature by the difference; and a control device for controlling ejection of the ink to be stabilized in accordance with the head

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 the openings, the passage has a length larger than a thickness of the ink container.

Abstract: The mounting positions of a plurality of recording heads (1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K) are set to be variable with respect to a paper feed direction, so that a post-ejection recording head (1Y) is mounted at the downstream side in the paper feed direction as compared to a pre-ejection recording head, thereby preventing generation of banding in color ink jet recording, and improving image quality.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus for discharging an ink droplet from a recording head to perform recording includes a heating element array for heating the recording head, a temperature sensor for measuring an ambient temperature, a timer for measuring a time associated with a temperature variation of the recording head during a recording operation, and a control unit for controlling an energy supplied to the heating element array on the basis of the ambient temperature measured by the temperature sensor and the time measured by the timer.

Abstract: An ink jet recording method for recording in which an ink is discharged by the pressure of a bubble generated in the ink by means of thermal energy, having the steps of preparing an ink jet head having a liquid path provided with a heating element and communicated with a discharge opening supplying the ink into the liquid path, the ink having a surface tension equal to or less than critical surface tension of a recording medium generating thermal energy for generating a bubble with the heating element in such a manner that the bubble is communicated with the atmosphere from the discharge opening when the generated bubble has a negative internal pressure and discharging the ink from the discharge opening by means of the pressure of the bubble generated.

Abstract: Disclosed is a color ink jet recording method including the step of recording a desired color image on a recording medium on the basis of recording data using a black ink and a plurality of color inks each being different from the black ink in permeating characteristics against the recording medium. In this method, the surface tension is 40 dyn/cm or less for each of the inks; and the blotting factor against plain paper is 2.5 or less for the black ink, and it is in the range of from 2.5 to 3.5 for each of the color inks. Alternatively, the surface tension is 40 dyn/cm or less for each of the inks; and the permeating rate against plain paper is one second or more for the black ink, and it is less than one second for each of the color inks.

Abstract: The ink jet recording apparatus includes: first ink tanks that are replaceable and contain first inks containing colorants; a second ink tank that is replaceable and contains a second ink containing no colorant; third ink generating means to generate third inks by mixing the first inks and the second ink; and third ink tanks that contain the generated third inks with different mixing ratios and can supply the third inks to recording heads for selective ejection.

Abstract: In forming an image with plural recording heads corresponding to plural inks of different densities, the image data are so distributed that the image is formed with the ink of low density until the image density reaches a predetermined density level, but is formed with the inks of low and high densities when the image density exceeds the predetermined density level, and the distributed data are corrected according to the detection of temperature relating to the recording heads, whereby a desired recorded image can be obtained even in the presence of a variation in the head temperature. Also the image data are distributed in such a manner that, when the remaining amount of one of the plural inks becomes low, the recording is conducted with the remaining ink, whereby a desired image can be obtained even when the remaining amount of one of the plural inks with different densities becomes low.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus can obtain characteristics of temperature sensors precisely in a short time by detecting that a new recording head is installed and presuming the characteristics of the temperature sensors of the recording head.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus is equipped with an ink suction pump which performs discharge recovery treatment for maintaining the ink within the discharge port under a predetermined state by sucking ink from the discharge port of a recording head. The ink suction pump has a cylinder and a piston moving in a reciprocal fashion relative to the cylinder therein and performs suction of the ink and discharge of the sucked ink as accompanied with the reciprocal movement. An annular contact portion forming a route for the discharge, which, in the actuation according the suction, blocks the route for discharging the ink, and maintains a predetermined interval by separation in the actuation according the discharge. The annular contact portion is provided at either the end surface of the piston or the end surface of the pushing member which pushes the end surface in the actuation of the suction.

Abstract: A container for containing printing liquid for supplying to an ink jet head for an ink jet recording apparatus. The container includes first and second chambers, with the first chamber containing negative pressure producing material and having an air vent communicating with ambient air and a supply port for supplying printing liquid to the ink jet head. The second chamber communicates with the first chamber via a communication port and provides a printing liquid reservoir for the first chamber. In an area adjacent a wall extending from the communication port, a capillary force provided by the negative pressure producing material decreases in a direction perpendicular to and towards that wall at least adjacent a part of the communication port which is uppermost when the container is in use.

Abstract: There are provided a color image forming method with liquids, capable of ensuring sharpness and high density in basically all the color images, and a recording apparatus therefor. This invention employs a black ink of relatively superior diffusibility and color inks of relatively superior penetrability, different in color from the black ink, and is characterized by forming the boundary area of a black image area with the color inks instead of the black ink.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus comprises a recording head adapted for ejecting at least two colors of ink, a discriminater for discriminating between character data and bit map data, and a controller for selecting a character data recording mode or a bit map data recording mode in accordance with a discrimination result by the discriminater. The controller controls an amount of ink ejection in the bit map data recording mode to be less than that in the character data recording mode.

Abstract: There are provided ink jet printing method and apparatus which assure that reciprocable printing can be realized at a high speed without any deterioration of a quality of printing. When an image is printed on a printing medium by using a multi-orifice head of which the ink ejecting direction relative to an opening surface is inclined in the return scanning direction, a scanning speed of the return scanning direction is delayed from the scanning speed in the reverse forward direction, an offset distance between a main dot and a satellite at the time of the return scanning is suppressed to be small, and in the case that printing is performed by reciprocable scanning, the satellite is received in the main dot not only during the forward scanning but also during the return scanning.

Abstract: An ink jet recording method uses black ink and a plurality of inks having different colors, which have ink penetration properties different from that of the black ink. The method includes generating multi-level black recording datum on the basis of a multi-level color recording datum of a discrimination pixel, wherein a ratio of generation of black recording datum is changed in accordance with a multi-level color recording datum of a pixel marginal to the discrimination pixel; and recording a color image on the basis of the multi-level color recording datum and the multi-level black recording datum generated by the generating step.

Abstract: A recording scan is performed through a relative reciprocation of color recording heads on a recording material. The recording heads can record with higher recording density than that of input image date. A plurality of pixels (2.times.2)are formed for each pixel of input image data. A mixed color image is recorded by multiple scans of the recording heads, in such a manner that pixels thereof (2.times.2) are not subjected to superposition of ink of two colors or more during a scan of the recording heads. Thus, it is possible to prevent an occurrence of variations in mixed color, and to record a high quality color image without increasing a recording time. Further, an amount of ink of one color may be reduced when recording a second one of the scans.

Abstract: An information transmitting mechanism is described for transmitting information of an ink tank of an ink jet recording apparatus to a controller thereof. The recording apparatus performs recording by scanning a carriage on which a recording head and the ink tank are mounted; the ink tank is removably mounted to said recording head. The information transmitting mechanism includes the ink tank and the recording head; in particular, the ink tank has an information mark. The recording head is connected to the ink tank and has a signal terminal making a signal connection with the ink tank and with the controller of the apparatus. The content of the information mark is transmitted to the controller through the signal terminal. The information relating to the ink tank is transmitted to the controller through the head terminal and through the carriage terminal. The information relating to the recording head is transmitted to the controller through the carriage terminal.

Abstract: A plurality of thin image data are generated based on desired image data. A single region on a recording medium is scanned a plurality of number of times on the basis of the plurality of thin image data, thereby recording the thin images a plurality of number of times. The scan interval in this case is set to be an interval equal to or longer than a required minimum interval, which does not cause deterioration of image quality due to blurring. Furthermore, the interval is properly changed according to the print duty, environmental condition, or the like.