Abstract: A printing device for performing recording on a recording medium, the printing device comprising a carriage slidably mounted on the printing device in a lateral direction to scan the recording medium, and movable in a vertical direction to a plurality of predetermined distances above the recording medium during printing, a print head mounted on the carriage, the print head having a discharge surface with a discharge nozzle located therein, the discharge nozzle for ejecting ink on the recording medium, and a recovery mechanism for performing recovery of the print head when the carriage is positioned above the recovery mechanism, the recovery mechanism including a carriage lever to engage the carriage and move the carriage in the vertical direction to a predetermined position above the recovery mechanism.

Abstract: A wide-width format printer having detachable and replaceable paper feed unit components includes an automatic sheet feeder having a feeding width corresponding to standard width print media, a manual sheet feeder having a feeding width corresponding to standard width print media plus an additional width, paper feed unit for feeding print media fed from either the automatic sheet feeder or the manual sheet feeder through a paper path which passes a print position to a media ejection portion, the paper feed unit comprising at least first and second detachable print roller sections, first and second detachable spur wheel sections, at least two detachable friction wheels and a drive roller, wherein the first detachable print roller section and spur wheel section oppose each other, the second detachable print roller section and spur wheel section oppose each other and wherein the first and second detachable printer roller segments are aligned coaxially and the first and second detachable spur wheel segments are a

Abstract: Printing on a recording medium by lateral scans of a print head in accordance with print data. Content of print data is determined. Then, the print data is printed either with a first lateral scan process using a critical zone at edges in a lateral scan of the print head for printing, or with a second lateral scan process that does not use the critical zone for printing. The first or second lateral scan process is selected based on the print data. Preferably, the critical zone is sized in correspondence with ramp up non-uniformities of a print carriage on which the print head is mounted, so as to accommodate a distance between a point where print degradation due to speed non-uniformities are noticeable to a point where print degradation due to speed non-uniformities are no longer noticeable. The second lateral scan process preferably is a process in which a predetermined margin is inserted into the first lateral scan process.

Abstract: A wide-width format printer having detachable and replaceable paper feed unit components includes an automatic sheet feeder having a feeding width corresponding to standard width print media, a manual sheet feeder having a feeding width corresponding to standard width print media plus an additional width, paper feed unit for feeding print media fed from either the automatic sheet feeder or the manual sheet feeder through a paper path which passes a print position to a media ejection portion, the paper feed unit comprising at least first and second detachable print roller sections, first and second detachable spur wheel sections, at least two detachable friction wheels and a drive roller, wherein the first detachable print roller section and spur wheel section oppose each other, the second detachable print roller section and spur wheel section oppose each other and wherein the first and second detachable printer roller segments are aligned coaxially and the first and second detachable spur wheel segments are a

Abstract: A wide-width format printer having detachable and replaceable paper feed unit components includes an automatic sheet feeder having a feeding width corresponding to standard width print media, a manual sheet feeder having a feeding width corresponding to standard width print media plus an additional width, paper feed unit for feeding print media fed from either the automatic sheet feeder or the manual sheet feeder through a paper path which passes a print position to a media ejection portion, the paper feed unit comprising at least first and second detachable print roller sections, first and second detachable spur wheel sections, at least two detachable friction wheels and a drive roller, wherein the first detachable print roller section and spur wheel section oppose each other, the second detachable print roller section and spur wheel section oppose each other and wherein the first and second detachable printer roller segments are aligned coaxially and the first and second detachable spur wheel segments are a

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: A printer includes a housing defining a media feed portion and a media eject port, the housing being adapted to house a print engine for printing onto recording media. Included in the printer is a base slideably receivable in the housing at a position laterally distanced from the media eject port, the base having at least a pair of recesses extending in a sliding direction of the base. A pair of flaps are included in the printer, each of which has at least one width portion corresponding to the lateral distance between the base and the eject port. Each flap is hinged into a corresponding recess of the base and is biased in an upward direction via a spring which provides for angular motion of the flap relative to the base. Upon sliding action of the base out of the housing, the flaps are biased upward out of the recesses to a height corresponding to the position of the media eject port.

Abstract: To assure that the space efficiency of a recording apparatus can be improved, the length of each of cables to be electrically connected to a mechanism section can be optimized, and the recording apparatus having excellent handling properties can be produced with small dimensions at a reduced cost, a controlling section for controlling a mechanism section substantially composed of an automatic feeding section, a conveying section, a discharging section and a recording section, each of which is associated with a recording operation to be performed by the recording apparatus, is arranged above the mechanism section.

Abstract: In a recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium by using a plurality of recording heads arranged at a predetermined interval in a scan direction, the recording heads are caused to scan corresponding divided recording areas. When the recording heads are caused to scan the corresponding divided recording areas, at least one of the recording heads is caused to record in a plurality of different recording areas. Positions of a recording medium are defined at a plurality of reference positions provided for the recording areas in which the recording is made.

Abstract: A recording apparatus having a carriage which scans along a guide shaft and which is provided with recording heads includes a position detector for detecting the positions of the carriage in the scanning direction; and a fixing device for engaging with the carriage to regulate the carriage in the scanning direction when it is detected by the position detector that the carriage is in a given fixing position and fixing the carriage in the given fixing position. With the structure thus arranged, this recording apparatus is capable of preventing the carriage from being bent or deformed when the ink tanks and recording heads are detachably mounted or the gap adjustment for the recording heads are executed on the carriage, thus enabling the operation and positioning of the carriage to be executed exactly.

Abstract: In a recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium by a plurality of recording heads, a scan unit has a carriage capable of mounting the recording heads at a predetermined interval and causes the recording heads to scan corresponding divided recording areas. A record control unit causes the recording heads to conduct a first record mode to record an area of a first recording width in a direction of scan by shared recording by the recording heads of the corresponding recording areas and a second record mode to record an area of a second recording width smaller than the recording width of the first recording width by causing at least one of the recording heads to record in the corresponding divided recording area when the corresponding divided recording areas are scanned. A distance between two recording apparatus mounted at outermost positions in the arrangement of the recording heads on the carriage is not larger than a difference between the first recording width and the second recording width.

Abstract: Ink jet recording encounters deviations in the position at which a recorded dot is applied due to changes in the distance from the recording head to a recording medium, the carriage movement speed and the ink discharge speed or the like. When bidirectional recording is performed while moving the carriage having the recording head mounted thereon, deviations of the recorded dot may occur in the forward and rearward recording operations. The present invention is arranged in such a manner that values for correcting the deviations occurring in bidirectional recording and corresponding to the changes of the distance from the recording head to a recording medium, the carriage movement speed and the ink discharge speed or the like are previously stored. A drive signal, the timing of which has been corrected with the correction value, is used to operate the apparatus so that high-quality recordings free from deviations occurring in the bidirectional recording operation are obtained.

Abstract: A recording apparatus for effecting recording by a recording device carried on a carriage movable along a recording material includes a platen for supporting the recording material in a recording region in which the recording device effects the recording on the recording material; a confining member for confining the recording material on the platen; a supporting member mounted on the carriage to support the carriage for movement thereof along the recording material and in contact with the confining member, wherein the supporting member engages to and disengages from an elastically deformable portion of the confining member outside the recording region.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes a positioning device for postioning a recording head on a carriage and an electrical connecting device for establishing electrical connection between the recording head and a main body portion. The positioning device and the electrical connecting device are provided on the carriage independently of each other. Therefore, the recording head and an ink tank can be certainly and simply installed on the recording apparatus. Also, an information processing system employs such recording apparatus to output input information, such as characters, image or so forth on a recording medium.

Abstract: A color ink jet printing apparatus including a single suction mechanism having a capping member designed to cap any one of the printheads of the apparatus and carrying out a suction recovery of that capped printhead. A plurality of additional caps which are not associated with the suction mechanism are provided for capping the printhead. Various printing moving schemes are devised to provide quick and efficient positioning of selected printheads opposing the suction mechanism to speedily service that printhead.

Abstract: A printing apparatus has a control unit for controlling the driving of a print head in accordance with a temperature measured by a sensor which is provided on a movable carriage for mounting the print head. The control unit controls a sensor such that the sensor measures the temperature when the carriage is in a position where the heat from motors or the like in the printing apparatus does not affect the sensor on the carriage.

Abstract: A method of exchanging a waste ink pack that stores waste ink discharged by repeated ink clearing operations performed on an ink jet head involves comparing a cumulative number of times the ink clearing operation have been performed using a particular waste ink pack with upper limit data based on the capacity of the waste ink pack. When the cumulative number reaches the upper limit data, an indication is provided that the waste ink pack should be exchanged for a new one, after which exchange a previous instruction to a recovery device to perform an ink clearing operation is performed. Ink clearing operations are then repeated with that waste ink pack until the number of such operations again reaches the upper limit data.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming system comprising an image forming device for forming an image on a sheet; first feeding rollers arranged at an upstream side of the image forming device, for pinching the sheet and for feeding the sheet to the image forming device; and second feeding rollers arranged at a downstream side of the image forming device, for pinching the sheet and for feeding the sheet at a speed faster than that of the first feeding rollers in order to apply a tension force to the sheet in a transverse direction thereof.

Abstract: A recording apparatus for performing recording uses a carriage mounted with a recording head moving along a guide shaft. The recording apparatus includes a magnetic linear encoder consisting of a scale element magnetized and a detection unit for detecting magnetized information magnetized to the scale element. Provided also are clicks formed on any one of the detection unit and the carriage and click engaging portions formed in the other one of the detection unit and the carriage. The clicks engage with the click engaging portions, whereby the detection unit is snap-locked to the carriage. This enables the detection unit of the magnetic linear encoder to be readily attached to the carriage and besides, when attached, prevents disorder of the information magnetized to the scale element. Further, even when a position of the carriage shifts corresponding to sheets having different thicknesses, a sliding load of the carriage does not change.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus comprises a mounting portion on which an ink jet cartridge is detachably mounted, the cartridge having a connector and a recording head portion for discharging ink to perform image recording. The mounting portion has a body connector associated therewith for electrically connecting the connector of the cartridge to the apparatus. A recording head positioner positions the recording head portion of the cartridge on the mounting portion. An operation device displaces the cartridge and the body connector relative to each other to connect the body connector to the cartridge connector.