Abstract: A fluid dispensing system, including a photon source disposed on a moveable carriage and a fluid ejector array having a plurality of fluid ejection elements disposed on a substrate. Each fluid ejection element includes a fluid ejector, and a photodetector electrically coupled to the fluid ejector. Moving said photon source over at least a portion of the fluid ejector array, selectively illuminates the photodetectors, thereby selectively activating the fluid ejectors coupled to the illuminated photodetectors.

Abstract: A fluid ejection assembly includes a first layer, and a second layer positioned on a side of the first layer. The second layer has a side adjacent the side of the first layer and includes a drop ejecting element formed on the side and a fluid pathway communicated with the drop ejecting element. The first layer and the fluid pathway of the second layer form a nozzle, and the nozzle has a cross-shaped cross-section.

Abstract: A fluid dispensing system, including a photon source disposed on a moveable carriage and a fluid ejector array having a plurality of fluid ejection elements disposed on a substrate. Each fluid ejection element includes a fluid ejector, and a photodetector electrically coupled to the fluid ejector. Moving said photon source over at least a portion of the fluid ejector array, selectively illuminates the photodetectors, thereby selectively activating the fluid ejectors coupled to the illuminated photodetectors.

Abstract: A fluid ejector head, including a fluid ejector disposed on an ejector support, and a semiconductive junction photo sensor electrically coupled to the fluid ejector. The fluid ejector head also includes a photon source photonically coupled only to the semiconductive junction photo sensor. Photons emitted from the photon source interact with the semiconductive junction photo sensor and generate an activation signal. The activation signal in turn activates the fluid ejector ejecting a fluid away from the fluid ejector.

Abstract: A fluid ejection assembly includes a first layer, and a second layer positioned on a side of the first layer. The second layer has a side adjacent the side of the first layer and includes barriers defining a fluid chamber on the side, a drop ejecting element formed within the fluid chamber, and a thermal conduction path extended between the fluid chamber and the barriers.

Abstract: A fluid dispensing system, including a photon source disposed on a moveable carriage and a fluid ejector array having a plurality of fluid ejection elements disposed on a substrate. Each fluid ejection element includes a fluid ejector, and a photodetector electrically coupled to the fluid ejector. Moving said photon source over at least a portion of the fluid ejector array, selectively illuminates the photodetectors, thereby selectively activating the fluid ejectors coupled to the illuminated photodetectors.

Abstract: A fluid ejector head, including a fluid ejector disposed on an ejector support, and a photodetector electrically coupled to the fluid ejector. The fluid ejector head also includes a photon source photonically coupled only to the photodetector. Photons emitted from the photon source interact with the photodetector and generate an activation signal. The activation signal in turn activates the fluid ejector ejecting a fluid away from the fluid ejector.

Abstract: A fluid ejection assembly includes a first layer, and a second layer positioned on a side of the first layer. The second layer has a side adjacent the side of the first layer and includes barriers defining a fluid chamber on the side, a drop ejecting element formed within the fluid chamber, and a thermal conduction path extended between the fluid chamber and the barriers.

Abstract: A fluid ejector head, including a fluid ejector disposed on an ejector support, and a photodetector electrically coupled to the fluid ejector. The fluid ejector head also includes a photon source photonically coupled only to the photodetector. Photons emitted from the photon source interact with the photodetector and generate an activation signal. The activation signal in turn activates the fluid ejector ejecting a fluid away from the fluid ejector.

Abstract: A fluid dispensing system, including a photon source disposed on a moveable carriage and a fluid ejector array having a plurality of fluid ejection elements disposed on a substrate. Each fluid ejection element includes a fluid ejector, and a photodetector electrically coupled to the fluid ejector. Moving said photon source over at least a portion of the fluid ejector array, selectively illuminates the photodetectors, thereby selectively activating the fluid ejectors coupled to the illuminated photodetectors.

Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus and method are disclosed. The apparatus includes a print recording source, which ejects wet ink onto a print media, and container, which ejects a supercooled gas onto the media in order to freeze-dry the wet ink. The methods include ejecting wet ink onto recording medium and freeze drying the ink on the medium. Also the supercooled gas is pass across a portion of the media either before or after wet ink received on the medium.

Abstract: The diameter of nozzles in a nozzle plate used in ink-jet printer pens, or cartridges, for the black ink is set at a first value, e.g., 45 .mu.m, which is larger than that used for the color inks, e.g., 40 .mu.m. It has been found that merely changing the nozzle diameter is sufficient to change the ink droplet size. By designing the drop mass properly (i.e., lower than normal, with the volume of black ink at, for example 115 pl and the volume of color ink at, for example, 95 pl, as measured at room temperature), optimum print quality and reliability is achieved when the cartridge reaches steady state operating temperature in a printer provided with a heater to assist in drying the ink on the print medium.

Abstract: A thermal ink jet printhead formed of a silicon substrate, a thin film resistor layer disposed on the silicon substrate, a patterned metallization layer disposed on the thin film resistor layer for defining a plurality of ink firing resistors in the resistor layer, and a barrier layer overlying the resistor layer and the metallization layer and having firing chamber openings formed therein. The metallization layer further includes a reference target pattern, and the barrier layer further includes a reference opening overlying the target reference pattern which is configured such that the alignment of reference opening relative to the target reference is representative of the alignment of the respective firing chamber openings relative to the associated underlying ink firing resistors.

Abstract: A method for operating a thermal ink jet printer including a printhead having ink firing heater resistors responsive to pulses provided to the printhead. A sequence of pulse bursts of respective increasing or decreasing pulse energies that span a predetermined pulse energy range is applied to the printhead, each pulse burst comprised of a plurality of pulses having a pulse energy that is associated with such pulse burst and is constant for all pulses in such burst, and each burst having a sufficient number of pulses to allow the printhead to achieve a steady state operating temperature at the pulse energy of the pulse burst. A steady state operating temperature sample is determined for each of the sequence of pulses bursts of different pulse energies to produce a set of temperature samples respectively associated with the increasing pulse energies, and a turn on pulse energy is determined from the temperature samples.

Abstract: The effects of heating on a printhead (16) used in a thermal ink-jet printer (10) provided with a heating means (30) to assist in drying ink on a print medium (12) are compensated for by making adjustments in the geometry, or architecture, of the printhead. Specifically, the dimensions of two portions of the structure for a cyan printhead are adjusted to provide more fluidic drag, first, by increasing the channel damping, and second, by increasing the shelf damping. The channel damping is increased by altering the dimensions of the ink-feed channel (48) leading towards the nozzle (42)/resistor (44) area, or firing chamber (50), specifically, by both lengthening and narrowing the ink feed channel. The shelf damping is increased by increasing that portion (52) between the edge (54a) of the ink refill slot (54) and the entrance to the ink feed channel. This increase in shelf length is most easily achieved by decreasing the width of the associated ink refill slot.

Abstract: An ink level sensor (18, 18', 18") is provided for detecting the level of ink in an ink cartridge (10) containing a capillary reservoir (14), such as foam, therein. The ink level sensor is a binary fluidic indicator, which provides both a human and machine readable indication of the level of the ink. A plurality of embodiments are described, including a two-port sensor (20), a one-port sensor (22), and a pair of fluidically-connected needles of different length (24).