Inkjet printing with air movement system
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsDavid McEltresh, Satya Prakash, Naoto Kawamura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An inkjet printer includes a printhead having a plurality of ink orifices formed therein. During printing, ink drops are ejected through the ink orifices into a print zone between the printhead and a print medium with an intended ink drop trajectory toward the print medium. An air movement system directs an air stream to the print zone substantially parallel to the intended ink drop trajectory as the ink drops are ejected during printing so as to affect air currents acting on the ink drops during printing and prevent print defects caused by the air currents. The air stream, however, does not disrupt the intended trajectory of the ink drops during printing.
Claims50
An inkjet printer for printing on a print medium, the inkjet printer comprising:
- a printhead having a plurality of ink orifices formed therein through which ink drops are ejected into a print zone between the printhead and the print medium with an intended ink drop trajectory toward the print medium during printing;
- and
- an air movement system directing a stream of gas to the print zone substantially parallel to the intended ink drop trajectory as the ink drops are ejected during printing, wherein the stream of gas affects air currents acting on the ink drops during printing to prevent print defects caused by the air currents.
An inkjet printer for printing on a print medium, the inkjet printer comprising:
- a printhead having a plurality of ink orifices formed therein through which ink drops are ejected toward the print medium during printing, the printhead having a scan axis along which the printhead traverses during printing, the printhead having a leading end oriented substantially perpendicular to the scan axis and a trailing end opposite the leading end;
- and
- an air movement system which directs a stream of gas to the trailing end of the printhead during printing.
An inkjet printer for printing on a print medium, the inkjet printer comprising:
- a printhead having a plurality of ink orifices formed therein through which ink drops are ejected toward the print medium during printing, the printhead having a scan axis along which the printhead traverses during printing, the printhead having a leading end oriented substantially perpendicular to the scan axis and a trailing end opposite the leading end;
- and
- an air movement system directing a stream of gas to the trailing end of the printhead during printing, wherein the stream of gas prevents air currents from forming and acting on the ink drops during printing to prevent print defects caused by the air currents.
A method of printing on a print medium with an inkjet printer including a printhead having a scan axis and a plurality of ink orifices formed therein, the method comprising the steps of:
- scanning the print medium with the printhead during printing, including traversing the scan axis;
- ejecting ink drops through the ink orifices toward the print medium during printing;
- and
- directing a stream of gas to a trailing end of the printhead during printing, wherein the stream of gas prevents air currents from forming and acting on the ink drops during printing to prevent print defects caused by the air currents.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.