Method to check a print head for application of a fixative in an ink printing apparatus
AssigneeOcé Holding B.V.
InventorsUlrich Stoeckle, Philippe Koerner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a method to check a fixative print head for nozzle failures, a reference mark is printed by the nozzles of a colored ink print head and a test mark is printed via overprinting of the colored ink by the nozzles of the colored ink print head and of a fixative by the nozzles of the fixative print head onto a printing substrate web. The test mark and the reference mark are compared with one another. If the reference mark and the test mark correspond to one another (e.g., at least in part), this indicates that nozzles of the fixative print head are operating incorrectly. If operating incorrectly, the nozzles have, for example, failed entirely or eject the fixative at too great an angular deviation.
Claims17
A method for checking for a nozzle failure of a print head adapted to apply a fixative in an ink printing apparatus, the method comprising:
- generating, using a print head for a colored ink, a reference mark from the colored ink on a printing substrate web;
- printing, using the print head configured to apply the fixative, the fixative on the printing substrate web;
- successively printing, using the print head for the colored ink, colored ink over the fixative printed on the printing substrate web to generate a test mark;
- measuring the reference mark to generate a reference value and the test mark to generate a real value;
- comparing the reference value and the real value;
- and
- assessing operation of the fixative print head based on the comparison of the reference value and the real value.
A method for checking operation of a print head in an ink printing system, the method comprising:
- generating, using a first print head, a reference mark on a printing substrate web;
- generating a test mark on the printing substrate web, using the first print head and a second print head configured to apply a primer, the generation of the test mark including:
- printing, using the second print head, the primer on the printing substrate web, and printing, using the first print head, ink over top of the primer printed on the printing substrate web;
- determining a reference value based on the reference mark and a real value based on the test mark;
- and
- determining an operational error of the second print head based on a comparison of the reference value and the real value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.