Abstract: An ink containing apparatus for containing ink includes a negative pressure producing material; a first container for containing the negative pressure producing material, the first container having an air vent and a supply port for supplying the ink out; a second container for containing ink; a communication part for communication between bottom portions of the first and second containers; and ribs for introducing ambient air adjacent the air vent for introducing air into the communication part.

Abstract: In an ink-jet apparatus employing an ink-jet head having a plurality of heaters corresponding to one ink ejection opening, appropriate preliminary ejection is performed per each ejection amount mode set by heater to be used among a plurality of heaters. Depending upon set printing mode (step S9), printing is the performed one of large, medium and small ejection amount modes (steps S10, S12, S14). For example, after printing is performed for a predetermined amount by the small ejection amount mode (step S10), the preliminary ejection during printing, is performed in the medium ejection amount mode which is greater in ejection amount than the small ejection amount mode. By this, internal of preliminary ejection during printing can be set longer to prevent lowering of through put due to preliminary printing operation.

Abstract: A liquid container for a liquid jet recording apparatus comprises a first chamber containing negative pressure producing material and having a liquid outlet connectable to a liquid jet head to supply liquid from the container to the liquid jet head and an air vent for allowing ambient air into the container, wherein the liquid outlet is provided in a bottom portion of the first chamber. A second chamber communicates with the first chamber by a communication path and is substantially hermetically sealed. A wall extends upwardly from the communication path of the first chamber. An ambient air introducing path is provided for between the wall and the negative pressure producing material extending from a point partly up the wall toward the communication path for introducing ambient air into the second chamber.

Abstract: An image process method comprises an input step of inputting color image data composed of a signal representing brightness and a signal representing tint, and a smoothing process step of performing a smoothing process to the signal representing tint, while holding the signal representing brightness. Thus, high-level color noise reduction can be performed without deteriorating apparent resolution of an output color image.

Abstract: In an ink-jet apparatus employing an ink-jet head having a plurality of heaters corresponding to one ink ejection opening, appropriate preliminary ejection is performed per each ejection amount mode set by a heater to be used among a plurality of heaters. Depending upon a set printing mode, printing is performed in one of large, medium and small ejection amount modes. For example, after printing is performed for a predetermined amount by the small ejection amount mode, preliminary ejection during printing is performed in the medium ejection amount mode, which is greater in ejection amount than the small ejection amount mode. By this, the interval between preliminary ejections during printing can be set to be longer to prevent lowering of throughput due to the preliminary ejection operations.

Abstract: In an ink-jet apparatus employing an ink-jet head having a plurality of heaters corresponding to one ink ejection opening, appropriate preliminary ejection is performed per each ejection amount mode set by a heater to be used among a plurality of heaters. Depending upon a set printing mode, printing is performed in one of large, medium and small ejection amount modes. For example, after printing is performed for a predetermined amount by the small ejection amount mode, preliminary ejection during printing is performed in the medium ejection amount mode which is greater in ejection amount than the small ejection amount mode. By this, the interval between preliminary ejections during printing can be set to be longer to prevent lowering of throughput due to the preliminary ejection operations.

Abstract: A liquid container including a first chamber for containing a reservoir of liquid, a second chamber containing a negative pressure producing material, an air vent for fluid communication with ambient air, a liquid supply port for supplying liquid out of the second chamber, a communication path for fluid communication between the first and second chambers where the first chamber is generally sealed by the ambient air except through the communication path, and a wall extending from the communication port. The communication path has a first region for permitting movement of air from the second chamber to the first chamber and a second region for permitting movement of the liquid from the first chamber to the second chamber.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus for performing recording using a recording head for ejecting an ink from a plurality of ejection orifices, includes a print control unit for performing a print operation while switching a print mode between a thin multi-pass print mode for sequentially recording divided recording data in a plurality of number of times of relative scan operations of the recording head with respect to a single recording area, and a 1-pass print mode for recording all recording data in a single relative scan operation of the recording head, and an eject quantity control unit for controlling the eject quantity of the ink ejected from the recording head so that a total ink quantity on the recording area in the thin multi-pass print mode is larger than a total ink quantity in the 1-pass print mode.

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: 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×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 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: 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: Ink which contains surfactant in the amount of not exceeding the critical micelle concentration in the ink but exceeding the critical micelle concentration in purified water, is filled into a cartridge, comprising a first chamber which encloses a negative pressure producing material, and a second chamber in communication with said first chamber only through a narrow passage Then, said ink is supplied to ink jet head and printed.

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, ink-jet recording method, and an image processing apparatus are disclosed in which the durability of an image formed with an ink on a recording medium is enhanced by applying a processing liquid to inked dots without causing an excessive application of the processing liquid thereby achieving a high-quality image including no distortion. The processing liquid having the capability of improving the recorded image in terms of resistance to water is applied to all inked dots located at edges while the processing liquid is applied to every predetermined number of inked dots at the other locations, Matrix patterns consisting of a plurality of dots for each gray level are selected so that the number of inked dots located at edges is minimized thereby minimizing the number of dots to which the processing liquid is applied thus achieving an improvement in the resistance to water using the minimized amount of the processing liquid.

Abstract: An in ink jet printing method and apparatus are disclosed which prevents mixing of ink with a liquid insolubilizing and/or agglomerating the ink and which can print images having excellent water resistance and high quality. Prevention of mixing of the ink with the liquid is achieved by separately arranging an ink receiver for receiving ink ejected by preliminary ejection and the liquid insolubilizing and/or agglomerating the ink ejected by preliminary ejection, or by setting the distance between the ink jet cartridge for the liquid and the cartridge for ink adjacent thereto is made larger than the distance between two adjacent ink jet cartridges. Alternatively, the direction of ejecting ports of an ink jet ejectors may be deviated.

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: On the basis of an image data for one line, ejection data is established distributed ejection data in a period of two pixels for each scan for performing printing by scanning twice with different ejection openings. Then, a processing liquid data is generated with a processing liquid mask of a period of three pixels which is prime to the period of two pixels, with respect to the ejection data. By this, with respect to results of a first scan and a second scan, pixels, on which an ink and a processing liquid are overlaid can be distributed uniformly. As a result, it is never differentiate order of application of the processing liquid by performing printing in the order of second scan and the first scan in other scanning region from correspondence of the ejection openings.

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: 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.