Printhead having memory element

In an ink jet printing system having a carriage for carrying an ink jet printhead relative to a printing medium, the carriage including means for orienting the printhead's housing in a predetermined orientation in relation thereto, the printhead including a plurality of orifii and means for expelling ink therefrom in response to firing signals, an improvement method comprising the steps:

• storing data related to the relative alignment of the printhead's orifii and its housing in a memory mounted to the printhead;
• retrieving said alignment data from the memory;
• and
• compensating the timing of the firing signals in accordance with said alignment data to reduce the effects of any misalignment between the orifii and the printhead housing.

A printer comprising:

• a printhead mounted to the printer and operable for movement along a path;
• a control circuit coupled to the printhead for controlling the printhead movement and for providing to the printhead operating signals that represent an operational characteristic of the printhead;
• a data transfer head mounted to the printer adjacent to the path of the printhead;
• a memory element for storing data, the memory element being mounted to the printhead and located to pass near the data transfer head as the printhead moves along the path, the data transfer head being controllable for transferring data to and from the memory element as the element passes the head;
• and
• a monitoring circuit connected between the printhead and the data transfer head, the monitoring circuit receiving and processing the operating signals and controlling the data transfer head to transfer to and from the memory element data that is representative of changes in the operational characteristics of the printhead.