Abstract: When a reduction recording is made by using a portion of a plurality of recording elements and a test pattern is recorded, a recording element of one end of a recording element array is positioned next to a recording element of the other end. As a result, in a recording apparatus by using a recording head provided with a plurality of the recording elements, a suitable correction of shading is made in a reduction recording mode.

Abstract: Recording means having integrally a recording head unit having discharge ports for discharging the ink and ink channels communicating to said discharge ports and leading the ink thereto, and an ink tank unit for storing the ink to be supplied to said recording head unit, wherein said recording head unit comprises a device for storing the parameter information concerning the ink discharge characteristics, and a protective member disposed on a side face area adjacent to said discharge port formation face for preventing the ink from flowing around.

Abstract: A liquid container for a liquid jet recording apparatus includes a first chamber containing negative pressure producing material and having a liquid outlet. At a lower part of the cartridge and contactable to the liquid jet head, the liquid container supplies liquid from the cartridge to the liquid jet head. An air vent allows ambient air into the cartridge. A second chamber communicates with the first chamber by means of a communication part, except for which the second chamber is substantially hermetically sealed. The second chamber is disposed at the lower part of the cartridge and provides a liquid reservoir for the first chamber.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes a recording unit integrally having an image forming recording head and a memory for storing a correction datum for correcting non-uniform image formation property; a reader for reading the correction datum from the memory; and a device for changing image forming conditions in accordance with the correction datum read by the reader. The apparatus also can alter the image forming conditions changed by the changing device when the non-uniformity of the recording unit changes.

Abstract: If it is detected that the number of times of ejection recovery operations performed in the past by the request of a user during an ink jet recording operations is greater than or equal to a designated relatively large value, for example “2”, the ink jet recording apparatus judges that an ejection recovery operation is relatively necessary for itself and that the number of times of ejection recovery operations to be performed when the electric power supply is turned on is increased. As a result in the ink jet recording apparatus, it will be appreciated that an optimal ejection recovery operation can be established in response to an operational condition of the ink jet recording apparatus and that the unnecessary waste of ink fluids can be prevented and the size of the recording apparatus can be reduced.

Abstract: A recording apparatus wherein a recording head which has been mounted can be identified more precisely by measuring characteristics of the recording head to obtain information for defining a drive condition of the head and storing the characteristics as ID information of the recording head.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head having a discharge portion, the discharge portion having discharge ports arranged for discharging ink to a recording medium, an absorbing member provided in the vicinity of the discharge portion, and a wiping member engageable with the discharge portion and the absorbing member, wherein a range of the discharge port array<a width of the wiping member≦a width of the absorbing member.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a plurality of ink jet recording heads for executing color recording, a recovery structure for maintaining and recovering a discharge state with respect to the plurality of recording heads, and a waste ink collecting container for collecting waste ink discharged from the recovery structure. The recovery structure has a plurality of waste ink collecting routes to the collecting container in accordance with each of the plurality of recording heads, and the plurality of waste ink collecting routes are disposed so as to discharge a predetermined kind of waste ink and other plural kinds of waste ink to different portions of the collecting container, respectively.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a recording medium comprising a base material, the surface of which is coated with a composition comprising, as an essential component, a polymer having a weight average molecular weight of not less than 20,000 which is obtained by reacting a polyvalent carboxylic acid, or anhydride or lower alkyl ester thereof with a polyhydroxyl compound having a weight average molecular weight of not less than 1,000 obtained by adding ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide to a compound having 2 to 4 active hydrogen atoms.

Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus has a station for dyeing a thread for embroidering by discharging ink onto the thread from an ink jet head. According to one aspect of the invention, a printing controller controls the amount of ink discharged per unit time onto the thread according to the speed of relative movement of the thread and the ink jet head. Another aspect of the invention accounts for the length of non-usable thread per unit time between an ink jet printing unit and the tip of an embroidery needle in an embroidery machine.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording using a plurality of types of inks which are different in nature such as level of thickness, improved to attain excellent gradation of recorded image with a reduced number of ink types which are prepared beforehand. In one form, a clear ink which does not contain any dye is mixed with an ink which contains dye so as to form an ink blend of a density which can be set by varying the mixing ratio. The ink blend thus formed is supplied to a recording head. The invention also provides an ink jet recording apparatus which permits inks of different compositions to be blended within the recording apparatus so a to enable selection of ink composition which is optimum for the image to be recorded or purpose of use.

Abstract: A plurality of recording heads capable of ejecting inks of different colors is reciprocated relative to a recording material to print ink dots on the recording material while effecting main scanning in the forward and the backward pass thereof. A plurality of thinning patterns produced by preparing m.times.n unit picture element groups and arraying these unit groups in such a manner that the groups avoid mutually adjoining and assume a mutually complementary relation is used to effect a plurality of rounds of main scanning in the forward and the backward pass over an area which can be printed by one round of main scanning, record a thinned image, and complete the recording of an image. The array of picture element groups in the thinning patterns is determined so that the groups may mutually adjoin relative to the direction of main scanning.

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: A recovery method for recovering proper operation of an ink jet recording head having a plurality of discharge ports and a plurality of thermal energy generating elements each corresponding to each of the discharge ports includes providing a recovery device for performing recovery according to a first recovery mode for only applying pressure to the discharge ports to effect suction of ink from the discharge ports while the discharge ports are capped by a capping device, and a second recovery mode for concurrently applying pressure to the discharge ports and driving the thermal energy generating elements to forcibly exhaust ink from the discharge ports while the discharge ports are capped by the capping means. The method also includes selectively performing recovery according to one of the first recovery mode and the second recovery mode.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head for performing recording by discharging ink by forming a bubble by applying thermal energy to a heat acting portion of an ink holding portion of the recording head. The temperature of the recording head is raised to a predetermined temperature which is higher than for normal ink discharge, ink is recovered from the head through the discharge opening at the predetermined temperature and then the head temperature is lowered and a printing operation is performed.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide an ink jet recording apparatus and an ink jet recording method which can produce an image excellent in gradation and resolution and allows the image for text, graphics and listing to the obtained at high speed and good quality. The present invention allows a desired recorded image to be obtained by exchangeably comprising an ink jet unit for producing the image excellent in gradation, and an ink jet unit having higher character quality and capable of recording at high speed, and effecting recording control in accordance with the ink jet unit.

Abstract: A plurality of recording heads for ejecting inks of different colors are reciprocally moved relative to a recording medium, and printing operations are performed by executing main scans in forward and backward scans of the recording heads. In this case, an area printable in a single main scan is recorded by performing a plurality of main scans using a plurality of thinning patterns in which an m.times.n pixel group is defined as a unit pixel group, and the pixel groups are arranged at non-neighboring positions, and which have a complementary arrangement relationship therebetween. A high-quality color image free from time difference nonuniformity, and density nonuniformity caused by, e.g., variations of recording elements is obtained at high speed.

Abstract: A recording method in which ink is ejected by thermal energy produced by a heat generating element of a recording head in response to application of a driving signal thereto including the steps of changing a waveform of the driving signal in accordance with a temperature of the recording head; and selecting a fixed waveform of the drive signal when the temperature of the recording head exceeds a predetermined level.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head for ejecting ink from an ejection unit to cause a change in temperature in a recording period, a temperature keeping unit for maintaining a temperature of the recording head at a predetermined keeping temperature higher than an upper limit of a surrounding temperature range in which recording is possible, a temperature prediction unit for predicting an ink temperature in the ejection unit in the recording period prior to recording, and an ejection stabilization unit for stabilizing ink ejection from the ejection unit according to the ink temperature in the ejection unit predicted by the temperature prediction unit.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus and ink jet recording method record using different kinds of ink each having the same series color and a different density. The jet recording apparatus includes a converting unit for converting an input image density signal into an output image density signal, a binary unit for converting the output image density signal into binary data, an inverting unit for inverting the binary data, and a distributing unit for the binary data inverted and binary data to be inverted to drive data for an ink discharge unit and drive data for another ink discharge unit. Density unevenness and texture which arise from an image process, particularly a binary process, can be prevented. Different kinds of ink, each of which has the same series color and a different density, are respectively scanned so as not to overlap on the same pixel.