Abstract: An ink jet printer includes a supply of ink, a print head, a cap, a waste tank and a control system. The print head is operatively connected to the supply of ink and ejects drops of ink to form an image. The cap is arranged to receive waste ink from the print head during maintenance operations. The waste tank is operatively connected to the cap for storing the waste ink. The control system is operatively connected to the print head for keeping an estimate of a volume of waste ink that has been discharged into the waste tank and adjusting the waste ink estimate to compensate for evaporation of the waste ink.

Abstract: A method includes printing a dot-matrix pattern of a first one of an image on a recording medium; and printing a dot matrix pattern of a second one of the image on the recording medium which second one of the image is interlaced with the first one of the image such that a combination of the dot-matrix patterns of the first and second ones of the image result in a combined dot-matrix pattern of the image having a dot density which is greater than an individual dot density of the dot-matrix patterns of the first and second ones of the image.

Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus capable of automatically changing over continuous paper and cut paper, wherein manual changeover is possible even if an actuator is locked in case of an accidental paper jam, to thus facilitate a processing. A platen gear can be associated with a tractor drive gear via a clutch gear for connecting or disconnecting both gears to or from each other upon oscillation of a clutch lever. The clutch lever is oscillated by a changeover lever which is moved by a changeover cam driven by a stepping motor. Therefor, the changeover cam is manually moved under a normal condition so that the changeover of the continuous paper and the cut paper can be manually performed without any application of a load of the stepping motor.

Abstract: A printer comprises a rotatable platen for supporting a sheet and a printhead which is capable of moving along the platen to print data on the sheet. A paper bail shaft supports paper bail rollers rotatably so as to be faced to the platen. A printhead retreating unit makes the printhead retreat to a position opposed to one end of the platen at the time of a paper feed operation. Arms serve as a paper bail retreating unit to separate the paper bail rollers from the platen at the time of the paper feed operation by displacing one end of the paper bail shaft a greater distance from the platen than the other end where the printhead is retreated.

Abstract: A printer comprising printing head moving means, printing ribbon feeding means, ribbon printing position change means and printing control means, in which printing control means gives instruction signals to regulate the crosswise move of the ribbon or to change the number of shift instruction signals less at both the ends of the ribbon to make the usage frequency substantially uniform with the central region.