Abstract: A housing for a cabinet-like household appliance has a body and at least one door, which is connected to the body in a manner that enables it to swivel due to the provision of at least one first and one second multiple-articulation hinge. The door is supported on an upper supporting surface of the first multiple-articulation hinge and on a lower supporting surface of the second multiple-articulation hinge by means of at least one shim inserted between the door and at least one of the supporting surfaces.

Abstract: A home appliance includes a rack that is mounted inside a cavity of the home appliance. The rack is mounted on rails that are located on opposite sidewalls of the home appliance cavity. The rack includes runners that are mounted on the rails. Each of the runners has a channel or aperture that receives one of the rails when the rack is mounted on the rails. One or more protrusions may be disposed on a surface of the channel or aperture of at least one of the runners. The one or more protrusions may be received in a channel formed on a surface of the corresponding rail. The protrusions may be rollers with vertical and/or horizontal axes of rotation.

Abstract: A source image is converted to a printable image that is constrained to a bi-directional gamut achievable by both a forward-first print mode and a reverse-first print mode. While the printable image is printed, a print system alternates between forward and reverse passes. The print system uses a forward-first color map during the forward passes and a different reverse-first color map during the reverse passes.

Abstract: A printing system includes first and second printheads spaced apart so as to define a gap between the first and second printheads. A controller is configured to the control printheads, including establishing a swath height based on the gap.

Abstract: To suppress nozzle clogging without reducing printing speed, a printing device of the invention includes a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink while moving in a movement direction; a conveying unit for conveying a medium in a conveying direction; and a controller for repeating a dot-forming action for discharging ink from the nozzles moving in the movement direction and forming dots on the medium, and a conveying action for conveying the medium in the conveying direction. The controller places an additional image in a different position in the movement direction from an area where a main image to be printed is formed, discharges ink from all of the nozzles in each of the dot-forming actions, and prints the additional image on the medium.

Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus including: a flushing-operation-data producing section which produces flushing-operation data for flashing of ink; a second-liquid-ejection-data producing section which produces data about ejection of treatment liquid such that (i) the treatment liquid is to be landed on a dot area on which the ink is to be landed upon forming an image dot among dot areas and (ii) the second liquid is not to be landed on at least one dot area on which the first liquid is to be landed on the basis of the control of the flushing-operation controlling section by referring the flushing-operation data produced by the flushing-operation-data producing section.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a driving apparatus configured to drive an inkjet head configured to cause plural nozzles to discharge ink according to deformation of an electromechanical energy converting element includes: a signal generating unit configured to generate a driving signal to be applied to the electromechanical energy converting element; and a setting unit configured to set, with respect to a reference waveform, a delay time of a waveform of the driving signal in the nozzles by using a random number generated by a random number generator.

Abstract: To provide a technique for largely preventing conspicuous banding from appearing in printed images, a print head is provided with three nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzles are arrayed in a sub-scanning direction, the nozzle rows being spaced apart in a main scanning direction. In two nozzle rows among the three nozzle rows, the positions of the nozzles in the sub-scanning direction are mutually the same, and in one nozzle row among the three nozzle rows, the positions of the nozzles the sub-scanning direction lie between nozzles of the two nozzle rows in the sub-scanning direction. The three nozzle rows can eject ink of the same hue.

Abstract: A method for maintaining the optical density of a printing device includes, with a printhead module of the printing device, printing a color region onto a first test page, the color region including a plurality of sub-regions, each of the sub-regions being printed with a different drive voltage; measuring an optical density of each of the sub-regions printed onto the first test page; determining a response curve based on a relationship between the optical density of the sub-regions and the different drive voltages used to print the sub-regions; and, using the response curve, determining a target drive voltage for the printhead module which will cause the printhead module to print at a target optical density.

Abstract: A first and a second nozzle array eject a first and a second fluid, respectively. A control section controls the nozzle arrays while relatively shifting a relative position between the nozzle arrays and a medium. When printing normally, the relative position between the nozzle arrays and the medium is shifted towards one side by a transporting distance. When forming a second image using the second fluid over a first image formed using the first fluid, the second image's nozzles are located towards the one side relative to the first image's nozzles. When printing near an edge of the medium, a non-ejection one of the nozzles is located towards the one side of the first image's nozzles, and is located towards the other side of the second image's nozzles. A length of a region to which the non-ejection nozzle belongs is an integral multiple of the transporting distance.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods for a handheld image translation device are described herein. The handheld image translation device may include an image capture module to capture surface images of a medium and a positioning module to determine positioning information based at least in part on navigational measurements and/or the captured surface images. A print module of the handheld image translation device may cause print forming substances to be deposited based at least in part on the positioning information. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Abstract: By suppressing deviation of dot-formation positions stemming from insufficient accuracy in conveying a printing medium due to eccentricity of a conveying roller, a printed image in which unevenness is less visible is obtained. An accumulated amount of conveyance errors is decreased by narrowing a nozzle-use range and reducing a conveyance amount over an entire printing region according to a mode used for printing an image in which the coverage of a printing medium is low due to a small number of ink colors to be used, for example, a mode used for printing a monochrome image by using a black ink dominantly in all of the density regions.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises: an image forming mechanism including a motor, and an image forming unit which operates by the motor to form an image on a recording sheet; a registration unit which registers a job; a control unit which controls the image forming mechanism to form an image corresponding to the job registered through the registration unit on a recording sheet; a number obtaining unit which obtains the number of recording sheets required for the job registered through the registration unit; and a setting unit which sets a rotation speed of the motor according to the number of recording sheets obtained by the number obtaining unit. The control unit controls the image forming mechanism to form the image corresponding to the job registered through the registration unit on the recording sheet by rotating the motor at the rotation speed set by the setting unit.

Abstract: A printing apparatus including a conveyance mechanism configured to convey a sheet in a predetermined direction, a printing unit configured to print an image on the sheet, a direct sensor having an image pickup device configured to image the sheet, which is used to sense movement of the sheet by signal processing of an output from the image pickup device, a movement mechanism configured to move the image pickup device in a direction including a component of the predetermined direction, and a control unit configured to control the conveyance mechanism, the printing unit, and the movement mechanism.

Abstract: A method for printing on a curved surface includes determining if a surface of a workpiece is curved, cutting an image to be printed into at least two printing areas if the surface is curved, and printing the printing area of the image on each surface of the workpiece. If the surfaces of the workpiece are not curved, the printing system directly prints the image on the workpiece. The printing system includes a rotating mechanism and a printer including an inkjet head having a plurality of nozzles. The workpiece is positioned on the rotating mechanism. The rotating mechanism rotates each surface of the workpiece to face the inkjet head and the inkjet head prints each printing area on it.

Abstract: A disclosed image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to discharge ink for forming an image on a recording medium or for idle-discharging the ink; a carrying unit configured to carry the recording medium and include an idle discharge region for receiving the ink which is idle-discharged; a determining part configured to determine whether the recording medium is positioned at the idle discharge region; and a changing part configured to change, if the determining part determines that the recording medium is positioned at the idle discharge region, a direction of the recording medium so that the recording medium is not positioned at the idle discharge region.

Abstract: Provided is a liquid ejecting head, a liquid ejecting head unit, and a liquid ejecting apparatus are provided that can secure sufficient compliance in a manifold and prevent degradation in liquid dispensing characteristic. In the liquid ejecting head, a flow path plate including pressure chambers arranged in a row, a manifold plate including a manifold communicating with the pressure chambers, thus constituting a common liquid chamber, a compliance plate that seals the manifold, and a nozzle plate including a nozzle orifice communicating with the pressure chamber so as to eject a liquid, are stacked in this order. The compliance plate includes a flexible compliance portion formed in a region opposing the manifold, and the nozzle plate includes a through hole formed in a region opposing the compliance portion.

Abstract: A method for operating an image receiving member in a phase change ink printer has been developed. The method includes selectively rotating the image receiving member past an activated heater to heat a first portion of the image receiving member to a first predetermined temperature that is greater than a second temperature to which a remaining portion of the image receiving member is heated by the heater.

Abstract: One aspect is a drop detection arrangement including a light source for projecting a light beam for scattering light off of an ejected drop. The arrangement includes a light collector configured to collect the scattered light off the ejected drop and configured to process scattered light into an output signal. The arrangement includes a controller configured to receive the output signal from the light collector, to calculate the velocity of the ejected drop and to determine the volume of the ejected drop using the output signal and the velocity of the ejected drop.

Abstract: The sequence of the acquisition of a correction value of a conveying error depending on the eccentricity of the conveying roller (correction value for eccentricity) and the acquisition of a correction value of a conveying error depending on the outer diameter of the roller (correction value for outer diameter) is considered to acquire a precise correction value for outer diameter. A test pattern to acquire the correction values for eccentricity and for outer diameter is formed with an area exceeds the area corresponding to an integer multiple of the circumferential length of the roller. The correction value for eccentricity and that for outer diameter are acquired in this sequence. The fluctuation in the conveying error is reduced by the application of the correction value for eccentricity, and the influence of the excess area is made smaller before the correction value for outer diameter is acquired by averaging the conveying errors.

Abstract: An image recording method of recording a desired image on a recording medium by a recording head having recording elements which form pixels on the recording medium, while moving at least one of the recording medium and the recording head relatively to each other in a prescribed conveyance direction, the method includes: a defective recording element information acquisition step of acquiring defective recording element information including position information of defective recording elements included in the recording elements; and a defective recording element compensation step of performing compensation for the defective recording elements by using compensation recording elements in accordance with a distance between a pair of the defective recording elements derived from the position information, the compensation recording elements being of normal recording elements included in the recording elements situated nearby the pair of the defective recording elements.

Abstract: A printer 240 calculates the amount of ink used only for printing as a number of discharged ink shots, and sends this shot count with the printer serial number and ink cartridge ID to a server 220. The server 220 saves the shot count, printer serial number, ink cartridge ID, and an error correction code as status information. The server 220 or server upstream from the server 220 can reliably determine the number of ink shots used by the printer 240 only for printing from this status information.

Abstract: An image processing method includes a conversion step of converting input image data into ink color data corresponding to respective use amounts of one or more types of color inks and a clear ink. In the conversion step, the input image data is converted into ink color data so that the use amount of the clear ink used in ink color data using a black carbon-containing ink becomes equal to or larger than that of the clear ink used in ink color data using no black carbon-containing ink.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid ejecting head including a plurality of nozzles that eject a liquid, a liquid receiving unit that receives the liquid that is ejected from the nozzles on the liquid ejecting head while having a deformable sheet-like member fixed thereto, and a deforming unit that deforms the sheet-like member.

Abstract: A printer includes a printing head having nozzle rows formed from a plurality of nozzles, in which the nozzles for ejecting the ink in the Z-axis direction are discretely arranged in the Y-axis direction; a linear absorbing member which is spaced apart from the nozzles at a predetermined distance in the Z-axis direction, is tensed in the Y-axis direction, and has a ink receiving region capable of receiving the ink with the predetermined width in the X-axis direction; and the moving mechanism which moves the absorbing member to the flushing position in which the nozzle row and the ink receiving region to be opposed to each other in the Z-axis direction, and in which the nozzle row and the center line of the absorbing member are differently positioned in the X-axis direction, when preliminary ejecting the ink from the nozzle rows.

Abstract: An ejection surface cleaning apparatus for cleaning a liquid ejection surface of a liquid ejection head ejecting an ejection liquid, includes: a cleaning liquid deposition device which deposits a cleaning liquid that dissolves or redisperses the ejection liquid, onto the liquid ejection surface; a wiping device which wipes the liquid ejection surface onto which the cleaning liquid has been deposited; and a control device which controls a leave time from deposition of the cleaning liquid onto the liquid ejection surface until wiping performed by the wiping device.

Abstract: A magnetic ink printer includes an ink collector to remove residual magnetic ink from a printhead face. The ink collector uses a magnetic member to produce a magnetic field that acts on the magnetic ink to remove the ink from the printhead face with little or no wiping of the printhead face. The magnetic ink is collected for possible reuse in the printhead.

Abstract: A three-dimensional printer includes an inkjet head and a nozzle plate. The inkjet head includes a top wall and two sidewalls connecting with the top wall. The top wall of the inkjet head includes a top nozzle. Each sidewall includes a side nozzle. The nozzle plate is positioned on an inner surface of the inkjet head. The nozzle plate includes a top area and two opposite side areas connecting with the top area. The top area of the nozzle plate includes a plurality of holes corresponding to the top nozzle of the inkjet head. Each side area of the nozzle plate includes a plurality of holes corresponding to the side nozzle of the inkjet head.

Abstract: A system is provided that includes first means for pre-charging a node to a first potential where the node coupled to a switch configured to control current through a firing resistor and second means for selectively discharging the node to a second potential across a path that has only one transistor between the node and the second potential.

Abstract: An ink introducing port is provided on the upstream side of the center of a row of pressure chambers in the direction of gravity g, the pressure due to ink introduction is applied to a region where the influence by the head is small.

Abstract: A liquid discharge head may include a flow channel unit having a plurality of pressure chambers. The head may be manufactured by manufacturing an actuator unit having a piezoelectric layer which covers the pressure chambers. The actuator unit may be manufactured by forming a first electrode and a second electrode thicker than the first electrode on the actuator unit, and forming a conductive layer laminated on the first electrode. The conductive layer may deform, and the sum of the thicknesses of the conductive layer and the first electrode may be larger than the thickness of the second electrode prior to the fixing step. The head may be manufactured by positioning the actuator unit on a cavity plate, and fixing the actuator unit to the cavity plate by heating and pressurizing. The conductive layer may be deformed by the pressurizing force more than the first and the second electrode.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a lead-free piezoelectric film including a lead-free ferroelectric material and having low dielectric loss and high piezoelectric performance comparable to that of PZT, and a method of manufacturing the lead-free piezoelectric film. The present invention is directed to a piezoelectric film comprising a (NaxBiy)TiO0.5x+1.5y+2—BaTiO3 layer with a (110) orientation, where 0.30?x?0. 46 and 0.51?y?0.62.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, when an electrode protection film of an inorganic material, which is apt to form a pin hole by influence of roughness of a ground, is used, an electrode as a smoothed electrode is formed on the ground of the electrode protection film by a plating method, or a film is formed as a smoothed layer (film) by an inorganic coating material such as SIRAGUSITAL (trade name: New Technology Creating Institute Co., Ltd.), such that the thickness of the electrode protection film is 1.0 ?m or more, and the average surface roughness of the ground of the electrode protection film is 0.6 ?m or less.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for ejecting droplets of a fluid material, comprising: a reservoir for storing the material, a channel connected with the reservoir, which is provided with at least one outflow opening from which, in use, flows a jet of the material breaking up into droplets, a pump for pressurizing the fluid material in the reservoir, so as to pass the material under pressure through the channel in the direction of the outflow opening, and a movable member provided in the reservoir, the member formed by a plurality of surfaces shaped to induce a pressure variation in the fluid material upstream of the outflow opening, for the purpose of obtaining the jet breaking up into droplets; the movable member mounted to have each opposed surface receiving identical hydrostatic pressure, to generate a net resulting zero force exerted on the movable member by the hydrostatic pressure. Accordingly, a simple mechanism is provided for providing multiple printing nozzles.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detection of the directivity of trajectories of charged drops issuing from a jet are disclosed. According to one aspect, an electrostatic sensor is disclosed which includes a flat functional surface. The electrostatic sensor is configured to function in a non-differential manner and has a geometric shape and arrangement that are substantially aligned relative to a nominal trajectory of drops. A trajectory of drops can be followed at the same time in a plane parallel to the flat surface of the sensor and in a plane perpendicular to the flat surface of the sensor. As a result, it can be verified whether a drop is present or remains in a predefined monitoring zone. According to another aspect, a method of controlling trajectories of drops in a print head having a continuous deflected jet, and a method of monitoring the effective recovery by the gutter of drops not intended for printing are disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a cartridge for ink-jet printer, comprising a cartridge body, a protective cover moving relatively to the cartridge body under pressure, a detection mechanism for cartridge and a detection mechanism for remaining ink volume, wherein the detection mechanism for cartridge includes the first and second detecting units respectively matching to the first and second sensors on the printer. The said second detecting unit includes a shelter unit, a fixed shaft set on the cartridge body, a sliding shaft on the protective cover and a reset unit of the shelter unit, wherein the shelter unit connects with the rotating shaft of the fixed shaft, rotates around the fixed shaft under the pressure of the sliding shaft and resets together with the protective cover under the effect of the reset unit of the shelter unit.

Abstract: The invention relates to an ink cartridge for an ink jet printer. The ink cartridge comprises a cartridge body and a detection mechanism for detecting the ink cartridge and residual quantity of ink, wherein the cartridge body comprises an ink tank for storing ink, an ink outlet for supplying ink to a printing head of the printer and an air inlet, the ink tank comprises a first ink chamber and a second ink chamber, a first negative pressure mechanism and a second negative pressure mechanism are arranged between the first ink chamber and the second cavity, the first negative pressure mechanism and the second negative pressure mechanism cooperatively control the ink inside the first ink chamber to be consumed preferentially than the ink inside the second ink chamber, and the second negative pressure mechanism generates negative pressure when a certain quantity of ink inside the ink tank is used for printing.

Abstract: A drive assembly has a moveable drive head, which is able to engage a plunger in a cartridge containing a liquid. The cartridge has a plunger moveable by the drive head to extract the liquid from the cartridge.

Abstract: A phase change ink imaging device includes an ink loader operatively connected within a housing of the imaging device. At least a portion of the ink loader is configured to be withdrawn from the housing to enable ink stick insertion.

Abstract: A phase change ink imaging device includes a transfix apparatus configured to apply ultrasonic action to ink pixels deposited onto an image bearing surface to facilitate transfer and/or fixing of the ink pixels to print media.

Abstract: A recording head includes a plurality of nozzle arrays separately provided so as to correspond to kinds of recording liquids to be discharged, a plurality of common liquid chambers from which the recording liquids are supplied to the nozzle arrays, a plurality of recording-liquid introducing passages communicating with the common liquid chambers, and a plurality of filters provided in the recording-liquid introducing passages. Upstream aperture areas of the filters are equal to each other, and downstream aperture areas of the filters are different according to the kinds of recording liquids passing through the filters.

Abstract: A damping device includes an elastic membrane that serves as a wall of a part of a supply channel between a reservoir unit that contains liquid and a droplet discharging unit that discharges the liquid in the form of a droplet; a wall portion provided outside of the supply channel such that a gas chamber is provided between the wall portion and the elastic membrane; and a resistance unit provided on the wall portion, the resistance unit providing ventilation and generating a resistance force against a movement of the elastic membrane.

Abstract: There is provided an inkjet recording method in which two liquids are printed and which can perform inkjet ejection, in which the inkjet recording method provides a high-quality image using a reaction liquid having excellent storage stability, ejection stability, and recoverability from clogging on a recording medium having an absorbing layer of a paper support with low water absorption, the image having excellent abrasion resistance.

Abstract: An ink composition including colored particles is disclosed. The colored particles includes a resin dispersant including at least one radically polymerizable group and at least one aromatic partial structure derived from a compound selected from the group consisting of an aromatic hydrocarbon compound, a condensed ring aromatic hydrocarbon compound, an aromatic heterocyclic compound, a condensed ring aromatic heterocyclic compound, and a compound having two or more aromatic hydrocarbon compounds linked to each other; and a colorant.

Abstract: The invention provides an aqueous ink composition including (A) a colorant, (B) a polymer including a hydrophobic structural unit represented by Formula (1) below, (C) a polymerization initiator, (D) a polymerizable compound including an ethylenically unsaturated bond, and (E) water.

Abstract: The present disclosure is drawn to an oil-based ink jet ink including a non-aqueous, oil-based liquid vehicle containing a charge control agent, the liquid vehicle having a conductivity of less than less than 50 pS/cm; from 3 wt % to 12 wt % of a pigment; from 0.5 wt % to 6 wt % of a dispersant; and from 0.001 wt % to 0.5 wt % of a high molecular weight polymer that is partially or fully solubilized in the liquid vehicle, and having a weight average molecular weight from 50,000 to 5,000,000 Mw, wherein ink jet ink has a conductivity of less than 1,000 pS/cm.

Abstract: A pigment dispersion containing a metal pigment, wherein the metal pigment contains plate-like particles, and in the case where the longitudinal diameter on the planar surface of the plate-like particle is X, the lateral diameter is Y, and the thickness is Z, the 50% average particle diameter R50 of a corresponding circle determined from the surface area in the X-Y plane of the plate-like particle is between 0.5 and 3 ?m, and the condition R5O/Z>5 is satisfied.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus forms an image on a surface of a recording medium by using ink and treatment liquid. The ink contains coloring material, and the treatment liquid contains at least one of a component which aggregates the coloring material and a component which increases viscosity of the ink. The image forming apparatus includes: a repellent agent deposition device which deposits a repellent agent onto the recording medium to render the surface of the recording medium liquid-repellent; a treatment liquid droplet ejection device which ejects and deposits droplets of the treatment liquid onto the recording medium on which the repellent agent has been deposited; and an ink droplet ejection device which ejects and deposits droplets of the ink onto the recording medium on which the droplets of the treatment liquid have been deposited.

Abstract: An apparatus and method that operates a flattener in an ink-based printing apparatus. The printing apparatus can include a media path configured to transport media sheets. The printing apparatus can include a marking module configured to jet ink drops to generate images on the media sheets. The printing apparatus can include a flattener configured to flatten the ink jet drops of the images on the media sheets in a flattener nip. The printing apparatus can include a release agent distributer configured to distribute release agent on a first rotational flattener member. The printing apparatus can include a controller configured to control the printing apparatus to reduce an inter-copy gap distance between a first media sheet and a second media sheet to prevent a first rotational flattener member from contacting a second rotational flattener member between the first media sheet and the second media sheet.

Abstract: A recording device includes a cassette having a protruding portion; a lever as a transmission member in which the distance from a shaft portion to an abutting portion is shorter than the distance from the shaft portion to a connection portion, the lever transmitting a force that the abutting portion receives from the cassette to the connection portion as an acting force by rotating on shaft portion as the axis when the protruding portion of the cassette abuts on the abutting portion; a damper mechanism portion; a separation slope separating the papers; and a stopper as a restriction member restricting the movement of the papers at an upstream side position in the installation direction of the separation slope, and releasing the restriction on the movement of papers by retreating from the position where the stopper restricts the papers when receiving the acting force from the damper mechanism portion.