Ink-jet printer

Abstract

An auxiliary substrate is provided so as to face a main substrate to which ink is supplied and the pattern of a voltage applied to an auxiliary electrode array formed on the auxiliary substrate is controlled. In a printing operation, the coloring material components are sent to the vicinity of an ink droplet emitting outlet and the coloring material components in the ink where the coloring material is dispersed in solvent are concentrated. Then, they are emitted from the ink droplet emitting outlet in the form of ink droplets and are forced to fly at a printing medium, thereby printing on the medium. In a non-printing operation, the auxiliary electrode array is controlled so that the coloring material components may be kept away from the ink droplet emitting outlet and the concentration of the coloring material components in the ink near the ink droplet emitting outlet is made lower than in a printing operation.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.