Printing method for a digital printing device

A printing method for a digital printing device for the production of ink drops of different sizes, comprising a print head having a plurality of printing systems and comprising at least one control apparatus for feeding control signals to the printing systems for the production of ink drops, wherein each printing system has a nozzle, at least one ink chamber and an activator, which is associated with the at least one ink chamber, for the discharge of ink drops from the ink chamber in question via the nozzle in question onto a substrate to be printed on, as a response to a control signal, characterized in that, in the control apparatus, only a single waveform (1) for the control signal (7, 7′) having a specified time curve is stored for ink drops of all sizes, comprising at least one printing pulse (1), this printing pulse comprising:

• (i) optionally an initial waiting time (2), (ii) a first edge (3), followed by (iii) a first holding time (4), and, after the first holding time (4), (iv) a second, opposite edge (5), (v) optionally followed by a second holding time (6), wherein the size and/or speed of ink drops is varied by virtue of the fact that, at most for a single, intrinsic drop size, the entire stored waveform (1) is transferred as a control signal (7, 7′) to the activator in question, while for all other, effective drop sizes, only a portion of the stored printing pulse (1) is transferred to the regarding activator, namely one or more selected portions of the initial waiting time (2), the first edge (3), the first holding time (4), the second opposite edge (5), and the second holding time (6), while one or more other portions of this stored, printing pulse (1) are not supplied to the regarding activator as part of the control signal (7, 7′).