Abstract: A carriage is driven along a carriage rod. The carriage includes a roller or a sled which runs along a track. As the carriage moves along the rod the roller or sled runs along the track. Defects in the roller or bumps along the track cause the carriage to rotationally vibrate about the carriage rod during movement. A vibration isolator (e.g., tuned spring) is included at the connection between the carriage and the roller or sled. Such isolator absorbs vibrations introduced by the roller, sled or track. The reduced vibrations lead to improved print quality for printers having smaller dot size or increased precision.

Abstract: An aerosol reduction system collects stray ink aerosol generated by inkjet printheads includes ventilation and collection components. During printing and purging, the printhead ejects ink to generate a desired ink droplet and a by-product comprising floating ink satellites. The aerosol collection system may be either passive or active, with the passive devices relying upon carriage motion to bring the collection elements into contact with the aerosol collection location. The passive systems have collection elements mounted on the carriage, including a rigid electrostatic filter, a billowing sail shaped filter geometry, or electrically charged plates. The active systems use some additional mechanism to bring the aerosol and the collection location together, such as the carriage-mounted aerosol removal or extraction fans illustrated. The collection location of these active systems may be mounted at the carriage, or well behind the carriage.

Abstract: Described herein is a printer having a printhead which traverses laterally across a sheetlike print medium and which thereby defines a laterally-extending print zone across the print medium. A paper transport mechanism in the printer has drive rollers and associated pinch wheels to drive the print medium through the printer's print zone. The paper transport mechanism further includes an upper print media guide and a lower print medium guide. The two print medium guides are shaped at their transverse ends to bow the transverse edges of the print medium downwardly to reduce its tendency to buckle upwardly into the printhead. In order to fit the upper print medium guide into the limited available space above the drive rollers, it is made of a lower molded portion for paper contact and an upper backing portion for rigidity. A pinch finger extends toward the printer's print zone beyond the pinch wheels to establish a pinch point against the drive roller in near proximity to the print zone.