Abstract: A printer includes a support structure. A feed arrangement is positioned on the support structure and is configured to feed an endmost sheet of print media from the stack. The feed arrangement includes a movable pick-up assembly, the pick-up assembly having an array of spaced apart nozzles configured to direct air on to respective locations along said topmost sheet so that said topmost sheet can be picked-up from the stack by moving said pick-up assembly. A pair of rollers is configured to engage with said endmost sheet fed from said feed arrangement. A printing station is configured to print ink upon said endmost sheet engaged by said rollers. An air displacement mechanism is connected to the nozzles to displace air out of some expulsion nozzles and into some other suction nozzles.

Abstract: A printer comprising: a support structure; a feed arrangement positioned on the support structure and configured to feed an endmost sheet of print media from the stack and including a movable pick-up assembly, the pick-up assembly having an array of spaced apart nozzles configured to direct air on to respective locations along said topmost sheet so that said topmost sheet can be picked-up from the stack by moving said pick-up assembly; a pair of rollers configured to engage with said endmost sheet fed from said feed arrangement; a printing station configured to print ink upon said endmost sheet engaged by said rollers; and an air displacement mechanism connected to the nozzles to displace air out of some expulsion nozzles and into some other suction nozzles, wherein said printing station has a pair of opposed printhead assemblies between which said endmost sheet can be fed so that concurrent duplex printing can be performed on the endmost sheet.

Abstract: An inkjet printer comprising: (a) an inkjet printhead; (b) a plurality of reservoirs in fluid communication with nozzles in the printhead, at least one of the reservoirs being an ink reservoir containing printing ink, and at least one of the reservoirs being a cleaning reservoir containing a cleaning liquid for cleaning an ink ejection face of the printhead; (c) a pressure device for positively pressurizing the cleaning reservoir; (d) a conduit providing fluid communication between the cleaning reservoir and the printhead; and (e) a valve in the conduit for controlling a supply of cleaning liquid to the printhead.

Abstract: A printer comprising: a support structure; a feed arrangement positioned on the support structure and configured to feed an endmost sheet of print media from the stack and including a movable pick-up assembly, the pick-up assembly having an array of spaced apart nozzles configured to direct air on to respective locations along said topmost sheet so that said topmost sheet can be picked-up from the stack by moving said pick-up assembly; a pair of rollers configured to engage with said endmost sheet fed from said feed arrangement; a printing station configured to print ink upon said endmost sheet engaged by said rollers; and an air displacement mechanism connected to the nozzles to displace air out of some expulsion nozzles and into some other suction nozzles, wherein said pick-up assembly includes an axle pivotally mounted with respect to the support structure, a pair of arms extending from either end of the axle, and a pick-up bar extending between the arms and along which said array is aligned.

Abstract: A printer comprising: a support structure; a feed arrangement positioned on the support structure and configured to feed an endmost sheet of print media from the stack and including a movable pick-up assembly, the pick-up assembly having an array of spaced apart nozzles configured to direct air on to respective locations along said topmost sheet so that said topmost sheet can be picked-up from the stack by moving said pick-up assembly; a pair of rollers configured to engage with said endmost sheet fed from said feed arrangement; a printing station configured to print ink upon said endmost sheet engaged by said rollers; and an air displacement mechanism connected to the nozzles to displace air out of some expulsion nozzles and into some other suction nozzles, wherein each suction nozzle has a suction cup mounted to said pick-up bar.

Abstract: A printer comprising: a support structure; a feed arrangement positioned on the support structure and configured to feed an endmost sheet of print media from the stack and including a movable pick-up assembly, the pick-up assembly having an array of spaced apart nozzles configured to direct air on to respective locations along said topmost sheet so that said topmost sheet can be picked-up from the stack by moving said pick-up assembly; a pair of rollers configured to engage with said endmost sheet fed from said feed arrangement; a printing station configured to print ink upon said endmost sheet engaged by said rollers; and an air displacement mechanism connected to the nozzles to displace air out of some expulsion nozzles and into some other suction nozzles, wherein said expulsion nozzles are interposed with said suction nozzles.

Abstract: A high speed printer for printing on sheets of porous media supplied from a stack of such sheets includes opposed pagewidth printheads. A sheet pick-up assembly is positioned operatively upstream of the pagewidth printheads. The sheet pick-up assembly has a gas conduit in fluid communication with a reversible gas supply, an outlet of the gas conduit being oriented so that the outlet is directed towards a top sheet of the stack such that a stream of gas can be directed out of the outlet and onto the top sheet to penetrate the top sheet and generate a cushion of gas between the first sheet and a second sheet to separate the first and second sheets. The reversible gas supply reverses the direction of the stream of gas back into the outlet to draw the first sheet against the outlet. A sheet feed mechanism is operatively arranged with respect to the, or each printhead and has a displacement mechanism for displacing the gas conduit to feed the first sheet from the stack.

Abstract: A process of producing a metal from the corresponding metal halide by reaction of the metal halide with a reducing agent to form the metal and a halide of the reducing agent, the reaction taking place at elevated temperature and at atmospheric pressure in a reactor comprising a fluidised bed of seed particles of the metal, which process comprises: injecting into the reactor an inert gas at a rate and in an amount effective to form a fluidised bed of the seed particles and to ensure that unreacted reductant and the halide of the reducing agent do not condense in the reactor under the prevailing conditions of temperature and pressure; maintaining the maximum temperature in the reactor below the melting point of the metal; and delivering the metal halide and reducing agent into the fluidised bed in a manner that favours formation of the metal on the seed particles over formation of the metal by homogeneous gas phase reaction between the metal halide and reducing agent.

Abstract: A printer is provided having a movable pick-up device which has a one dimensional array of nozzles configured to direct air onto a topmost sheet of a print media stack so that said topmost sheet can be picked-up from the stack by moving said pick-up assembly, rollers configured to engage the picked-up topmost sheet, a printhead configured to print on the engaged sheet, and an air displacement mechanism connected to the nozzles to displace air out of some expulsion nozzles and into some other suction nozzles.

Abstract: A printhead assembly is provided comprising: (a) an inkjet printhead; and (b) a plurality of ink reservoirs in fluid communication with nozzles in the printhead. At least one of the ink reservoirs contains a cleaning liquid for cleaning an ink ejection face of the printhead.

Abstract: A paper feed mechanism for a printing station. The mechanism includes a primary set of rollers and a secondary set of rollers for feeding a sheet of paper past a printhead, and a pivot rod rotatably driven by a drive means. Also included is a pick-up bar pivotally connected to the pivot rod via swing arms, the pick-up bar having a foot portion to facilitate pick-up of a sheet of paper from a stack. The mechanism further includes a fluid hose attached to the foot portion, said fluid hose operatively delivering pressurised air to the foot portion to facilitate pick-up of a sheet from the stack, wherein the pick-up bar delivers the sheet to the rollers.

Abstract: A printer comprising: a support structure; a feed arrangement positioned on the support structure and configured to feed an endmost sheet of print media from the stack and including a movable pick-up assembly, the pick-up assembly having an array of spaced apart nozzles configured to direct air on to respective locations along said topmost sheet so that said topmost sheet can be picked-up from the stack by moving said pick-up assembly; a pair of rollers configured to engage with said endmost sheet fed from said feed arrangement; a printing station configured to print ink upon said endmost sheet engaged by said rollers; and an air displacement mechanism connected to the nozzles to displace air out of some expulsion nozzles and into some other suction nozzles, wherein said printing station has a pair of opposed printhead assemblies between which said endmost sheet can be fed so that concurrent duplex printing can be performed on the endmost sheet.

Abstract: A printer comprising: a support structure; a feed arrangement positioned on the support structure and configured to feed an endmost sheet of print media from the stack and including a movable pick-up assembly, the pick-up assembly having an array of spaced apart nozzles configured to direct air on to respective locations along said topmost sheet so that said topmost sheet can be picked-up from the stack by moving said pick-up assembly; a pair of rollers configured to engage with said endmost sheet fed from said feed arrangement; a printing station configured to print ink upon said endmost sheet engaged by said rollers; and an air displacement mechanism connected to the nozzles to displace air out of some expulsion nozzles and into some other suction nozzles, wherein said pick-up assembly includes an axle pivotally mounted with respect to the support structure, a pair of arms extending from either end of the axle, and a pick-up bar extending between the arms and along which said array is aligned.

Abstract: A printer comprising: a support structure; a feed arrangement positioned on the support structure and configured to feed an endmost sheet of print media from the stack and including a movable pick-up assembly, the pick-up assembly having an array of spaced apart nozzles configured to direct air on to respective locations along said topmost sheet so that said topmost sheet can be picked-up from the stack by moving said pick-up assembly; a pair of rollers configured to engage with said endmost sheet fed from said feed arrangement; a printing station configured to print ink upon said endmost sheet engaged by said rollers; and an air displacement mechanism connected to the nozzles to displace air out of some expulsion nozzles and into some other suction nozzles, wherein said expulsion nozzles are interposed with said suction nozzles.

Abstract: A printer comprising: a support structure; a feed arrangement positioned on the support structure and configured to feed an endmost sheet of print media from the stack and including a movable pick-up assembly, the pick-up assembly having an array of spaced apart nozzles configured to direct air on to respective locations along said topmost sheet so that said topmost sheet can be picked-up from the stack by moving said pick-up assembly; a pair of rollers configured to engage with said endmost sheet fed from said feed arrangement; a printing station configured to print ink upon said endmost sheet engaged by said rollers; and an air displacement mechanism connected to the nozzles to displace air out of some expulsion nozzles and into some other suction nozzles, wherein each suction nozzle has a suction cup mounted to said pick-up bar.

Abstract: A printer comprising: a support structure; a feed arrangement positioned on the support structure and configured to feed an endmost sheet of print media from the stack and including a movable pick-up assembly, the pick-up assembly having an array of spaced apart nozzles configured to direct air on to respective locations along said topmost sheet so that said topmost sheet can be picked-up from the stack by moving said pick-up assembly; a pair of rollers configured to engage with said endmost sheet fed from said feed arrangement; a printing station configured to print ink upon said endmost sheet engaged by said rollers; and an air displacement mechanism connected to the nozzles to displace air out of some expulsion nozzles and into some other suction nozzles, wherein said pick-up assembly is capable of rotational movement.

Abstract: A printhead maintenance assembly having an ink manifold with a printhead, the manifold operatively supplying the printhead with ink. The assembly also includes a capper arrangement having a capper operatively fitted to the manifold over the printhead, the capper defining a capper chamber with a constriction member splitting said chamber into an air inlet channel and a vacuum channel, the constriction member located proximate the printhead to define a blast channel therewith between the inlet channel and the vacuum channel. The assembly also includes a dabbing device to dab the printhead after disengagement of the capper with the printhead.

Abstract: A method of separating a sheet of print media from a stack (28) of sheets, the sheets being porous, includes blowing fluid on to a top surface of a topmost sheet (28.1) of the print media on the stack (28) so that the fluid passes through at least the topmost sheet (28.1) of the stack (28) and capturing at least a part of the topmost sheet for conveyance to a printing station (13) of a printer (10).

Abstract: A method of maintaining a printhead in an operable condition is provided. The method comprises the steps of: (a) flooding an ink ejection face of the printhead with ink; and (b) removing the ink by blasting air across the face.

Abstract: A decorative floor screen, or partition, according to which one or more panels are inserted into a frame.