Abstract: A printer controller is provided for supplying dot data to at least one printhead module and at least partially compensating for errors in ink dot placement by at least one of a plurality of nozzles on the printhead module due to erroneous rotational displacement of the printhead module relative to a carrier. The printer controller is configured to determine the rotational displacement, determine at least one correction factor that at least partially compensates for an error in ink dot displacement caused by the determined rotational displacement, and alter the output of the ink dots based on the correction factor to at least partially compensate for the rotational displacement. The correction factor is at least partially based on a thickness of media being printed on.

Abstract: Provided is a print engine pipeline subsystem of a printer controller. The subsystem includes a print engine pipeline controller for reading and writing print engine pipeline registers, and a contone decoder unit for expanding JPEG compressed continuous tone (“contone”) layers. Also included are a lossless bi-level decoder for expanding compressed bi-level layers, a line loader unit for expanding page images for a printhead, and a printhead interface for sending dot data to the printhead and for providing line synchronization between multiple printer controllers.

Abstract: A printhead IC is provided which has an array of nozzles, drive circuitry for receiving print data and sending drive pulses of electrical energy to the array of nozzles in accordance with the print data, a temperature sensor connected to the drive circuitry to adjust the drive pulse profile in response to the temperature sensor output and open actuator test circuitry for selectively disabling the actuators when they receive a drive signal while comparing the resistance of the resistive heater to a predetermined threshold to assess whether the actuator is defective. During use, the temperature sensor can be de-activated after a period of use.

Abstract: A printhead IC is provided which has an array of nozzles, drive circuitry for receiving print data and sending drive pulses of electrical energy to the array of nozzles in accordance with the print data, and a temperature sensor connected to the drive circuitry to adjust the drive pulse profile in response to the temperature sensor output. During use, the temperature sensor can be de-activated after a period of use. The drive circuitry is configured to operate in two modes, a printing mode in which the drive pulses it generates are printing pulses, and a maintenance mode in which the drive pulses are de-clog pulses, such that, the de-clog pulse has a longer duration than the printing pulse.

Abstract: A pagewidth inkjet printer is provided having a pagewidth printhead which has a plurality of printhead modules mounted end to end on a carrier to extend across a pagewidth with each printhead module incorporating a plurality of inkjet nozzles and the nozzles of at least one of the printhead modules being rotationally displaced relative to the carrier, and a printer controller for communicating ink dot data to the inkjet nozzles in accordance with a cumulative correction factor for each printhead module. The printer controller measures the amount of rotational displacement of the rotationally displaced printhead module to determine the cumulative correction factor to at least partially compensate for the rotational displacement.

Abstract: Porous polymer microspheres having a size of from about 3 to about 50 microns and a geometric standard deviation of about 1.25 or less are disclosed. The porous polymer microspheres are made by a method including the steps of preparing an emulsion comprised of polymer particles having an average particle size of less than about 3 microns and a diluent, subjecting the emulsion to an aggregating condition to form aggregated polymer particles, optionally coalescing the aggregated polymer particles, and removing the diluent to form the porous polymer microspheres.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead is provided having a plurality of printhead modules arranged across a pagewidth to be printed. Each printhead module has a plurality of rows of ink ejection nozzles. At least some of the rows include at least one displaced row portion. The displaced row portions of at least some of the rows are different in length than the displaced row portions of at least some of the other rows.

Abstract: A printer is provided having at least one elongate printhead module comprising at least one row of printing nozzles, and first and second printer controllers configured to process print data for output to the printhead module. The first and second printer controllers are connected to a common input of the printhead module.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly having shielded cage assembly with a plurality of ports for receiving modules. In one embodiment, the modules comprise SFP (small form-factor pluggable) modules, and the electrical connector assembly is adapted for low-profile applications, thereby optimizing the amount of area and volume occupied by the SFP assembly. In one variant, the SFP modules are pluggable into individual ports, whereby two modules are interconnected to a single header connector interconnected to a motherboard. Methods of manufacturing the connector assembly are also disclosed.

Abstract: A printhead IC is provided which has an array of nozzles, drive circuitry for receiving print data and sending drive pulses of electrical energy to the array of nozzles in accordance with the print data, and a temperature sensor connected to the drive circuitry to adjust the drive pulse profile in response to the temperature sensor output. During use, the temperature sensor can be de-activated after a period of use. The drive circuitry sets the duration of the pulse profile to a sub ejection value for any of the nozzles in the row that are not to eject a drop during that firing sequence.

Abstract: Provided is test circuitry for testing a thermal actuator of a printhead nozzle arrangement of a printhead. The circuitry includes an open actuator test input, a column enable input and a row enable input. A drive transistor operatively links said thermal actuator to a power supply, and a bleed transistor is arranged in parallel with the thermal actuator. The circuitry also includes a sense transistor operatively linking an output of the drive transistor and inputs of the thermal actuator and bleed transistor to a sensing node, as well as a controller configured to deactivate the bleed and sense transistors and to activate the drive transistor when the column enable and row enable inputs are activated to link the thermal actuator to the power supply, and to activate the bleed and sense transistors when the open actuator test input is activated, so that the thermal actuator is short-circuited and the sense node is pulled high if the thermal actuator is open-circuit.

Abstract: A printhead IC is provided having an array of nozzles, drive circuitry for receiving print data and sending drive pulses of electrical energy to the array of nozzles in accordance with the print data, and a temperature sensor connected to the drive circuitry to adjust the drive pulse profile in response to the temperature sensor output. During use, the temperature sensor can be de-activated after a period of use. The drive circuitry is programmed with a series of temperature thresholds defining a set of temperature zones, each of the zones having a different pulse profile for the drive pulses sent to the nozzles in the region currently operating in that temperature zone.

Abstract: Provided is a print engine controller for an inkjet printhead with a plurality of nozzle arrangements operatively actuated by thermal actuators. The controller has controller circuitry with an open actuator test circuit to test each respective actuator. The controller circuitry includes an open actuator test input, a column enable input and a row enable input, as well as a drive transistor operatively linking said thermal actuator to a power supply. The circuitry also includes a bleed transistor arranged in parallel with the thermal actuator, and a sense transistor operatively linking an output of the drive transistor and inputs of the thermal actuator and bleed transistor to a sensing node. The controller circuitry is configured so that when only the column enable and row enable inputs are activated the bleed and sense transistors are deactivated and the drive transistor is activated to link the thermal actuator to the power supply.

Abstract: Provided is a method of operating a thermal bend actuator of a printhead nozzle arrangement of a printhead using an open actuator test circuit. The test circuit includes an open actuator test input, a column enable input and a row enable input; a drive transistor operatively linking said thermal actuator to a power supply; a bleed transistor arranged in parallel with the thermal actuator; a sense transistor operatively linking an output of the drive transistor and inputs of the thermal actuator and bleed transistor to a sensing node. The method includes the step of actuating the actuator to facilitate printing by enabling the column and row enable inputs to deactivate the bleed and sense transistors and to activate the drive transistor to link the thermal actuator to the power supply.

Abstract: Porous polymer microspheres having a size of from about 3 to about 50 microns and a geometric standard deviation of about 1.25 or less are disclosed. The porous polymer microspheres are made by a method including the steps of preparing an emulsion comprised of polymer particles having an average particle size of less than about 3 microns and a diluent, subjecting the emulsion to an aggregating condition to form aggregated polymer particles, optionally coalescing the aggregated polymer particles, and removing the diluent to form the porous polymer microspheres.

Abstract: A method of expelling ink from a printhead module is provided. The printhead module includes at least one row that has a plurality of sets of n adjacent nozzles. Each of the nozzles is configured to expel ink in response to a fire signal. The method includes providing a fire signal to nozzles at a first and nth position in each set of nozzles, and providing a fire signal to the next inward pair of nozzles in each set. In the event n is an even number, a fire signal is provided to each next inward pair until all of the nozzles in each set has been fired. In the event n is an odd number, a fire signal is provided to each next inward pair until all of the nozzles but a central nozzle in each set have been fired, and then firing the central nozzle.

Abstract: A printing system is provided having a carrier, a printhead module carried by the carrier and a controller. The printhead module has at least one row of ink ejection nozzles. Each of the nozzles is configured to eject ink in response to fire signals from the controller. The controller is configured to determine erroneous rotational displacement of the printhead module relative to the carrier, determine a correction factor based on a thickness of media being printed that at least partially compensates for ink dot displacement by at least one of the nozzles, and using the correction factor, alter the output of the fire signals to the nozzles so as to alter the ejection of ink dots to at least partially compensate for the rotational displacement.

Abstract: A printer is provided having a printhead of first and second elongate printhead modules and first and second printer controllers configured to receive print data and process the print data to output dot data to the printhead. The printhead modules are parallel to each other, are disposed end to end on either side of a join region, and are of different lengths. The first printer controller is arranged to output dot data to both the first and second printhead modules and the second printer controller is arranged to output dot data only to the second printhead module. One or more of the printhead modules has at least one row of print nozzles and at least two shift registers for shifting in the dot data to at least one row. Each print nozzle obtains the dot data from an element of one of the shift registers.

Abstract: A printer is provided which has a printhead integrated circuit having a row of aligned printhead nozzles and a controller for supplying data to the printhead integrated circuit. A sequential group of the nozzles at one end of the printhead integrated circuit are offset from the other nozzles of the row. The printer controller is configured to control order and timing of the supplied data to compensate for the offset nozzles during printing.

Abstract: A method of expelling ink from a printhead module including at least one row that comprises a plurality of adjacent sets of n adjacent nozzles, each of the nozzles being configured to expel ink in response to a fire signal, the method comprising providing, for each set of nozzles, a fire signal in accordance with the sequence: [nozzle position 1, nozzle position n, nozzle position 2, nozzle position (n?1), . . . , nozzle position x], wherein nozzle position x is at or adjacent the centre of the set of nozzles.