Cartridge body for ink jet printer

An ink cartridge body which is removably mountable on a printer carriage of an ink jet printer, the cartridge body comprising a molded polymeric structure providing an open-ended cavity therein for slidably engaging three or four ink cartridges, the cavity containing a bottom cavity wall and an integrally molded ink chamber for each ink cartridge disposed in the bottom cavity wall, each ink chamber being in flow communication with a printhead attached to a printhead location on the cartridge body, a needle panel member having attached thereto an ink needle for each ink chamber, the panel member being attached to the ink chambers so as to define closed ink chambers and filter elements disposed in each of the ink chambers between the bottom cavity wall and the panel member for filtering ink flowing to the printheads and one or more urging members in the open-ended cavity for urging the ink cartridges away from said bottom cavity wall.

A stiffener assembly for stiffening an electrical connection wall of a cartridge body for an ink jet printer, the cartridge body containing ink needles for flow of ink from ink cartridges to printheads attached to the cartridge body, the cartridge body providing a cartridge cavity adapted for insertion of the stiffener assembly and ink cartridges therein, the stiffener assembly comprising a bottom wall, one or more upstanding dividing walls attached to the bottom wall and one or more valve seal assemblies and guides therefor for the ink needles, the guides being attached to the bottom wall and, the stiffener assembly being adapted for frictional engagement in the cartridge cavity of the cartridge body.