Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus has a pick-up roller for supplying to a conveyor mechanism an uppermost one of record media on a supporter, an elevator for moving up and down the supporter, a pump for forcibly ejecting ink within an ink-jet head, a drive shaft that is rotated both in positive and negative directions by a drive source, and a driving force transmitter. The driving force transmitter is capable of switching its mode between a mode for transmitting rotating force of the drive shaft in the positive direction to the pump so as to drive the pump and a mode for transmitting rotating force of the drive shaft in the negative direction to the pick-up roller so as to drive the pick-up roller. After the elevator is controlled to bring the uppermost one of the record media on the supporter away from the pick-up roller, the drive source is controlled to rotate the drive shaft in the positive direction.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus has a pick-up roller for supplying to a conveyor mechanism an uppermost one of record media on a supporter, an elevator for moving up and down the supporter, a pump for forcibly ejecting ink within an ink-jet head, a drive shaft that is rotated both in positive and negative directions by a drive source, and a driving force transmitter. The driving force transmitter is capable of switching its mode between a mode for transmitting rotating force of the drive shaft in the positive direction to the pump so as to drive the pump and a mode for transmitting rotating force of the drive shaft in the negative direction to the pick-up roller so as to drive the pick-up roller. After the elevator is controlled to bring the uppermost one of the record media on the supporter away from the pick-up roller, the drive source is controlled to rotate the drive shaft in the positive direction.

Abstract: A printing system includes a host computer and a printer. The host computer generates pixel group data for a plurality of pixel groups as print data. The pixel group data is generated in a time series by processing pixel groups aligned in a paper conveying direction within an image foaming range. This data provides information for driving specific nozzles in each print head. The pixel group data also identifies non-ejection times indicating the number of times in the pixel group that ink droplets are not ejected from nozzles in succession. By considering the non-ejection times identified in this pixel group data to be “information for driving the nozzles,” the printer itself need not count nor identify the number of non-ejection times, but can drive the nozzles with drive waveforms corresponding to the number of non-ejection times.

Abstract: An optical waveguide array includes a two-dimensionally refractive index profile lens for focusing light beams in a scanning direction. The two-dimensionally refractive index profile lens is bonded to or integrally formed with the optical waveguide array. The refractive index is distributed in the two-dimensionally refractive index profile lens by changing the irradiation energy of ultraviolet ray during the manufacture. As a member for focusing the light beams in the irradiation direction which is perpendicular to the scanning direction, another two-dimensionally refractive index profile lens or a cylindrical lens is used. The optical waveguide array with such an inexpensive structure can focus the light beams both in the scanning direction and the irradiation direction. The resolution of the latent image formed on a photosensitive member can thus be improved.