Technique for media coverage using ink jet writing technology
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorAlan E. Cariffe
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ink jet printing system includes an ink jet nozzle array for ejecting ink droplets during an ink jet printing cycle, and a flat medium positioned to receive ink droplets ejected by the nozzle array during an ink jet printing cycle. A motion apparatus provides relative motion between the nozzle array and the medium such that a spiral locus is defined by the nozzle array relative to the media during an ink jet printing cycle. The spiral maximum diameter may be made equal to the diagonal dimension of a rectangular media, thus allowing drops to be deposited very close to the edge of the media, and so reducing or eliminating the area of unprintable margins on both sides and the top and bottom of the media.
Claims31
A method for printing with an ink jet nozzle array having a plurality of nozzles at a different radial distance from a center of coordinates, comprising;
- receiving a print job defining at least one image to be printed during an ink jet printing cycle;
- supporting a flat print medium to receive ink droplets ejected by the nozzle array during the printing cycle;
- selectively generating firing pulses to the ink jet nozzle array in dependence on the image to be printed, including generating firing pulses for respective ones of the nozzle array at different firing rates, wherein nozzles closer to the center of coordinates are fired less frequently than nozzles further from the center of coordinates;
- providing relative rotational and translational motion between the nozzle array and the medium such that a spiral locus centered at a center of rotation coincident with the center of coordinates is defined by the nozzle array relative to the medium;
- and
- ejecting ink droplets onto the medium in response to the firing pulses during said printing cycle.
An ink jet printing system, comprising:
- an ink jet nozzle array for ejecting ink droplets during an ink jet printing cycle, the ink jet nozzle array including a plurality of nozzles disposed at a different radial distance from a printing center of coordinates;
- a controller for receiving data representing an image to be printed and selectively generating nozzle firing pulses dependent on the image;
- a flat medium positioned to receive ink droplets ejected by the nozzle array during an ink jet printing cycle;
- apparatus responsive to control signals generated by the controller for providing relative rotational and translational motion between the nozzle array and the medium relative to a center of rotation at the center of coordinates, said motion in synchronism with said firing pulses such that a spiral locus is defined by the nozzle array relative to the media to print said image during an ink jet printing cycle;
- and
- wherein said controller generates said firing pulses at different rates for respective ones of the nozzle array, wherein nozzles closer to the center of coordinates are fired less frequently than nozzles further away from the center of coordinates.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.