Abstract: A media print system includes two or more printhead carriages adapted to print on a medium in a print area, the print area including two or more print regions. Each of the printhead carriages is adapted to print in one or more of the print regions. The system also includes a controller adapted to reconfigure a positioning of the two or more printhead carriages in a configuration selected from a predetermined set of configurations. The controller is adapted to reconfigure the positioning each time a predetermined criterion is satisfied.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for grain equalization utilizing double dotting, comprising the steps of: determining a drop weight of each die in a multi-die printhead to print a given ink; determining the highest drop weight amongst all the dies; and determining a percentage of double dotting that is needed to substantially match a grain of the highest drop weight die.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing smudge resistant and durable ink-jet images are provided. Specifically, a system for printing durable ink-jet ink images can comprise a first printhead containing a fixer composition including a charged fixer component, wherein the first printhead is configured for ink-jet printing the fixer composition on a substrate. The system can further comprise a second printhead containing an ink-jet ink, wherein the second printhead is configured for ink-jet printing the ink-jet ink composition over the fixer composition. The ink-jet ink can also include a colorant carrying an opposite charge with respect to the charged fixer component. A third printhead containing a polymer overcoat composition can also be present, and can be configured for ink-jet printing the polymer overcoat composition over ink-jet ink composition. The polymer of the polymer overcoat composition can also carry an opposite charge with respect to the charged fixer component.

Abstract: The present invention includes as one embodiment an inkjet printing method for decreasing dot placement artifacts of a thermal inkjet printhead having at least one substrate having nozzle rows each associated with a print data row, the method including variably mapping each nozzle row to a print data row based on a swath height error of the substrate to reduce the artifacts caused by the swath height error.

Abstract: A fluid ejection device includes a die having a plurality of nozzles variously configured according to a predetermined intended distribution. The fluid ejection device also includes a controller configured to set a mean drop volume of the die by selectively firing selected nozzles of the die.

Abstract: The present invention includes as one embodiment an inkjet printing method for decreasing dot placement artifacts of an inkjet printhead having at least two substrates, each with overlapping and non-overlapping nozzle rows, the method including selectively disabling at least one ink ejection element associated with at least one nozzle in the overlapping nozzle rows based on a swath height error of the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention includes as one embodiment an inkjet printing method for decreasing dot placement artifacts of a thermal inkjet printhead having at least one substrate having nozzle rows each associated with a print data row, the method including variably mapping each nozzle row to a print data row based on a swath height error of the substrate to reduce the artifacts caused by the swath height error.

Abstract: The present invention includes as one embodiment an inkjet printing method for decreasing dot placement artifacts of an inkjet printhead having at least two substrates, each with overlapping and non-overlapping nozzle rows, the method including selectively disabling at least one ink ejection element associated with at least one nozzle in the overlapping nozzle rows based on a swath height error of the substrate.

Abstract: Within a printer, compensation is provided for color migration within ink drops. Color compensation is provided by varying firing frequency of each print nozzle so as to fire high frequency bursts of ink drops. Each print nozzle is idle, not being used to eject ink drops, between high frequency bursts of ink drops.

Abstract: Within a printer, compensation is provided for color migration within ink drops. Color compensation is provided by varying firing frequency of each print nozzle so as to fire high frequency bursts of ink drops. Each print nozzle is idle, not being used to eject ink drops, between high frequency bursts of ink drops.

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in a system and method for using lower data rates and less memory, for high nozzles per inch printheads. The printing system of the present invention includes a printhead assembly and an ink supply for printing ink on print media. The printhead assembly includes a printhead body, ink channels, a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer, a nozzle member and a barrier layer located between the wafer and nozzle member. The nozzle member has plural nozzles coupled to respective ink channels and is secured at a predefined location to the printhead body with a suitable adhesive layer. The printhead has a controller which can be firmware, software or any suitable processor that can control the ejection of ink from the plural nozzles.

Abstract: A method of improving lamination consistency across a media substrate is provided. The method includes providing a media substrate having at least one ink-receptive (unprinted) surface and subjecting the ink-receptive surface to plasma treatment to create at least one treated surface of the media substrate.

Abstract: The present invention includes as one embodiment an inkjet printing method for decreasing print banding in a thermal inkjet printhead having a plurality of substrates with adjacent overlapping and non-overlapping regions between the substrates, the method comprising synchronizing a difference in time delay between ink ejected from the adjacent overlapping and non-overlapping regions of each substrate to reduce the difference.

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in a system and method for using lower data rates and less memory, for high nozzles per inch printheads. The printing system of the present invention includes a printhead assembly and an ink supply for printing ink on print media. The printhead assembly includes a printhead body, ink channels, a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer, a nozzle member and a barrier layer located between the wafer and nozzle member. The nozzle member has plural nozzles coupled to respective ink channels and is secured at a predefined location to the printhead body with a suitable adhesive layer. The printhead has a controller which can be firmware, software or any suitable processor that can control the ejection of ink from the plural nozzles.

Abstract: One aspect of the invention checks mechanical misalignment of plural pens and shifts data to allow for at least part of misalignment—and automatically prints images with the shifted data. If pens are aligned within a dot row then preferably the image prints without data shift. In one other preference, the pens print respective ink types; in this regard a particular preference is that the inks include plural colors, or alternatively plural dilutions. The invention is particularly beneficial in printing on a particular printing medium that is insensitive to relative timing of deposition of ink types; in this case an ideal print medium is plain paper. In some such situations the data shift best compensates for only part of misalignment, and pen-nozzle selections for the rest. In other situations the shifting step best compensates for all the misalignment. In another aspect, the invention extends marking element life and thereby printhead life by distributing usage over a maximum number of elements.

Abstract: The present invention includes as one embodiment an inkjet printing system, having a substrate, a plurality of heating elements disposed on the substrate, an ink ejection assembly adjacent the substrate forming a plurality of ink ejection chambers, each chamber associated with a different one of the heating elements and a controller operatively connected to the heating elements, the controller receiving print data and processing the print data to predict thermal conditions of a subset of the ink ejection chambers for selectively operating the corresponding heating elements of the subset.

Abstract: A printing system for ejecting rows and columns of ink drops onto a medium which includes a mechanism for scanning a carriage through a print zone over the medium, a printhead mounted on the carriage, the printhead having ink ejection elements arranged in first and second columns of ink ejection elements arranged perpendicular to a scanning direction and a controller for causing the carriage to scan the printhead in a first scanning direction while controlling the ejection of drops of ink from the first column of ink ejection elements at a first ejection frequency and the ejection of drops of ink from the second column of ink ejection elements at a second ejection frequency and causing the carriage to scan the printhead in a second scanning direction opposite to the first scanning direction while controlling the ejection of drops of ink from the first column of ink ejection elements at the second ejection frequency and the ejection of drops of ink from the second column of ink ejection elements at the first e

Abstract: A temperature control system for an inkjet printhead assembly, including a printhead assembly having ink ejection elements energizable by an electrical pulse having an amplitude and pulse width, a sensor coupled to the printhead assembly for generating a signal representative of the printhead temperature, a memory for storing current printhead operating parameters and a controller for reading a nominal operating pulse width, the signal from the sensor and the printhead operating parameters, said controller calculates an adjusted pulse width using the nominal operating pulse width, the signal from the sensor and the current printhead operating parameters, wherein the controller uses the adjusted pulse width to control printhead temperature.

Abstract: A method of operating a printing system having a media advance direction and a transverse direction that is perpendicular to the media advance direction and a first plurality of ink drop generators and a second plurality of ink drop generators by moving the first plurality of ink drop generators along the transverse direction while ejecting first ink droplets onto the media in a dot grid pattern having a first resolution in the transverse direction and moving the second plurality of ink drop generators along the transverse direction while ejecting second ink droplets onto the media in a second dot grid pattern having a second resolution in the transverse direction. The first and second resolutions being non-integer multiples of each other.

Abstract: A swath printer and multipass printing method for improving print quality. The printer minimizes dot placement errors on a printed medium due to depositing drops of ink from lower quality printhead nozzles by providing a printmask having a mask pattern which prints with those nozzles most susceptible to dot placement error using a hi-fipe printmode which deposits into a specific pixel location a small number of drops in each of multiple passes, and a multidrop printmode which deposits into a specific pixel location many drops rapidly in one of the passes. Because such a printer and method prints substantially equally with all printhead nozzles, it does not shorten the useful life of the printhead due to defects associated with the number of times a nozzle deposits ink.