Abstract: When performing at least one of preliminary ejection or a suction unit as a countermeasure against adhering ink that accumulates in the portion where preliminary ejection is performed, the preliminary ejection amount and suction speed of the suction unit are optimized. An inkjet print apparatus that prints by using a printing head for ejecting ink, comprising: an ejecting unit; a sucking unit; a measuring unit that measures an elapsed time after the sucking unit is performed; and a control unit that control ejection by the ejecting unit or sucking by the sucking unit according to the elapsed time measured in the measuring unit; wherein as the elapsed time becomes longer, the amount of ink that is ejected to the ink receiving unit in the ejecting unit is increased or a suction speed at which the ink is sucked in the sucking unit is increased.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a carriage, a wiping unit, and a control unit. The recording head includes a discharging port surface provided with a first discharging port row group having at least one discharge port row formed by arraying a plurality of discharging ports in a predetermined direction and a second discharging port row group having at least one discharge port row formed by arraying a plurality of discharging ports in a predetermined direction. The carriage causes the recording head to scan reciprocally in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction. The wiping unit includes a sheet member for wiping the discharge port surface and a winding device to wind the sheet member. The control unit controls the winding device so that the first discharge port row group and the second discharge port row group are wiped with different areas of the sheet member.

Abstract: In the case where a preliminary discharge operation is always performed at a position that is spaced apart from a recording area, the time taken for a recording head to be moved to a preliminary discharge position is increased, and this results in a decrease in throughput. In the case where it is determined that a leading end or a trailing end of a recording medium is located on a platen, positions at which the distance from an end of a recording medium to a recording head with respect to a moving direction is not smaller than a threshold are determined as preliminary discharge positions, and the recording head is controlled to perform a preliminary discharge operation.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides a wiping method capable of preventing a problem such as color mixing or a discharge failure in a wiping operation during the reciprocating motion of a carriage. According to the embodiment, one or a plurality of orifice arrays out of a plurality of orifice arrays included in a printhead are wiped by making a sheet-like wiping member contact to the orifice surface of the printhead. After that, the wiping member is separated from the orifice surface of the printhead, and the used wiping member is wound. Then, the wiping member is made to contact to the orifice surface of the printhead again, and the next one or more orifice arrays are wiped.

Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a carriage, a wiping unit, and a controller. The recording head has a discharge port face with a plurality of discharge ports to discharge ink. The carriage has the recording head mounted thereon and performs reciprocal scanning. The wiping unit includes a sheet-shaped wiping member to wipe the discharge port face and a conveying unit to convey the wiping member. The controller controls an amount of conveyance of the wiping member by the conveying unit. The controller performs control so that the conveyance amount in a first case, where a time elapsed since a last conveyance operation of the wiping member is greater than or equal to a certain time, becomes greater than the conveyance amount in a second case, where the time elapsed since the last conveyance operation of the wiping member is less than the certain time.

Abstract: A simple, low-cost liquid ejection apparatus is provided which can prevent a reverse flow of ink from within the cap into the print head, which would otherwise occur when the interior of the cap is returned to an atmospheric pressure. For this purpose, the ink is sucked out of the nozzle ports of the print head by the recovery unit with the atmospheric vent valve of the subtank open.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a print head, a scanning unit, a sheet-form member, a winding device, and a determining unit. The print head includes an orifice face having an ejection orifice to eject a liquid. The scanning unit performs scanning while reciprocating the print head. The sheet-form member performs a wiping operation of the orifice face of the print head, wherein the wiping operation includes a first wiping operation and a second wiping operation. The winding device performs a winding operation of the sheet-form member. The determining unit determines a length of the sheet-form member that is to be wound by the winding device in accordance with a length of time between the first wiping operation performed by the sheet-form member and the second wiping operation performed by the sheet-form member that follows the first wiping operation.

Abstract: This invention prevents a possible color mixing, that may occur more than a predetermined time after the wiping operation, by executing a pre-printing cleaning ejection while at the same time minimizing the amount of waste ink produced by the cleaning ejection. To this end, if a color mixing is determined as being likely to occur an elapsed time after the previous wiping operation, the pre-printing cleaning ejection uses a second ink volume U, which represents both the color mixing elimination ink volume and the ejection failure elimination ink volume. If it is decided that there is no likelihood of the color mixing occurring the elapsed time after the wiping operation, the pre-printing cleaning ejection uses the first ink volume D which represents only the ejection failure elimination ink volume.

Abstract: In an inkjet apparatus using an inkjet head ejecting multiple types of inks different in viscosity after evaporation of solvent, a replacement timing for a component is judged by using a consumption amount of each type of ink and a generation rate in amount of ink droplets. Accordingly, in the case of using a large amount of ink strongly susceptible to fixed adhesion and increase in viscosity, the component is replaced at an earlier timing, which prevents fixed adhesion from influencing the print performance and the printing apparatus main body. By contrast, in the case of using a large amount of ink less susceptible to fixed adhesion and increase in viscosity, the component is replaced at a later timing and thus can be used until reaching its lifetime.

Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a carriage with the recording head mounted thereon, a main tank, a sub-tank configured to be supplied with ink from the main tank via a tube, a supply tube configured to connect the recording head and the sub-tank, a supply unit connected to the supply tube and configured to supply ink from the main tank to the sub-tank, and a control unit configured to control acceleration of the carriage and to control the supply unit, wherein, when an empty volume in the sub-tank is greater than or equal to an ink volume in the main tank, the supply unit is controlled to supply ink to the sub-tank.

Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head including a discharge port, a carriage configured to perform reciprocating scanning with the recording head mounted thereon, a main tank configured to store ink, a sub-tank configured to be supplied with ink from the main tank via a tube, a supply tube configured to connect the recording head and the sub-tank, and a control unit configured to control the carriage, wherein the control unit controls acceleration of the carriage such that a dynamic pressure of ink inside the supply tube becomes greater than a pressure resistance to an ink movement and a pressure resistance to an air movement in the tube.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes: a recording unit for applying ink on a sheet by a printing head; a drying unit for drying the sheet; a measuring unit for measuring patterns on the sheet; a conveying unit for conveying the sheet; a recovering unit for performing a printing head-recovering operation; and a control unit for controlling the apparatus such that, the recording apparatus performs recording to form patterns, the conveying unit performs first conveying to convey the sheet from a recording region to a drying region, the drying unit performs drying, the conveying unit performs second conveying to convey the sheet from the drying region to a measuring region, and the measuring unit performs measuring, in sequence, wherein the recovering operation is performed at timing at least partially overlapping at least one of the first and second conveying operations, the drying operation, and the color measuring operation, after the recording operation.

Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a carriage, a wiping unit, and a controller. The recording head has a discharge port face with a plurality of discharge ports to discharge ink. The carriage has the recording head mounted thereon and performs reciprocal scanning. The wiping unit includes a sheet-shaped wiping member to wipe the discharge port face and a conveying unit to convey the wiping member. The controller controls an amount of conveyance of the wiping member by the conveying unit. The controller performs control so that the conveyance amount in a first case, where a time elapsed since a last conveyance operation of the wiping member is greater than or equal to a certain time, becomes greater than the conveyance amount in a second case, where the time elapsed since the last conveyance operation of the wiping member is less than the certain time.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus includes a purge unit having a sheet member that purges ink deposited on an orifice face of a print head and a winding unit that winds the sheet member. By using the number of ink ejections executed between a first purge operation and a second purge operation, the amount of winding of the sheet member is controlled after the second purge operation is completed.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a print head, a scanning unit, a sheet-form member, a winding device, and a determining unit. The print head includes an orifice face having an ejection orifice to eject a liquid. The scanning unit performs scanning while reciprocating the print head. The sheet-form member performs a wiping operation of the orifice face of the print head, wherein the wiping operation includes a first wiping operation and a second wiping operation. The winding device performs a winding operation of the sheet-form member. The determining unit determines a length of the sheet-form member that is to be wound by the winding device in accordance with a length of time between the first wiping operation performed by the sheet-form member and the second wiping operation performed by the sheet-form member that follows the first wiping operation.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a carriage, a wiping unit, and a control unit. The recording head includes a discharging port surface provided with a first discharging port row group having at least one discharge port row formed by arraying a plurality of discharging ports in a predetermined direction and a second discharging port row group having at least one discharge port row formed by arraying a plurality of discharging ports in a predetermined direction. The carriage causes the recording head to scan reciprocally in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction. The wiping unit includes a sheet member for wiping the discharge port surface and a winding device to wind the sheet member. The control unit controls the winding device so that the first discharge port row group and the second discharge port row group are wiped with different areas of the sheet member.

Abstract: A color measuring method includes: recording color patterns on a sheet by an inkjet head; measuring colors of the color patterns formed on the sheet; and recovering the inkjet head, wherein the recovering is prohibited within a period after the recording and before the measuring.

Abstract: In an inkjet apparatus capable of ejecting an ink and a treatment liquid for insolubilizing or coagulating a color material in the ink, a replacement timing for a component of the apparatus is judged based on both the consumption amounts of the ink and treatment liquid measured when the two are consumed together and the consumption amount of the ink measured when the ink is consumed alone. Thus, the component is replaced at an earlier timing when the influence of fixed adhesion is great due to frequent ejection of both of the ink and treatment liquid, which prevents fixed adhesion from influencing the print performance and the printing apparatus main body. By contrast, when the fixed adhesion slowly develops because of less-frequent ejection of both of the ink and treatment liquid, the component is replaced at a later timing and thus can be used until reaching its lifetime.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a printing unit configured to apply ink to a recording medium while reciprocating a print head with respect to the recording medium and a drying unit configured to apply energy for accelerating dryness to the recording medium to which the ink is applied by the print head. The drying unit applies a larger energy at edges of a range within which the printing unit moves on the recording medium than at a middle of the range.

Abstract: When performing at least one of preliminary ejection or a suction unit as a countermeasure against adhering ink that accumulates in the portion where preliminary ejection is performed, the preliminary ejection amount and suction speed of the suction unit are optimized. An inkjet print apparatus that prints by using a printing head for ejecting ink, comprising: an ejecting unit; a sucking unit; a measuring unit that measures an elapsed time after the sucking unit is performed; and a control unit that control ejection by the ejecting unit or sucking by the sucking unit according to the elapsed time measured in the measuring unit; wherein as the elapsed time becomes longer, the amount of ink that is ejected to the ink receiving unit in the ejecting unit is increased or a suction speed at which the ink is sucked in the sucking unit is increased.