Ink cartridge providing improved ink supply

An ink cartridge for dispensing liquid ink to a drop on demand ink jet printer the ink cartridge comprising:

• a housing having a top wall, a plurality of side walls, and a cover wall enclosing an interior space, wherein the top wall and the cover wall oppose one another across the interior space and wherein the interior surface of the cover wall is substantially planar;
• a divider separating the interior space into a capillary chamber and a free ink chamber;
• a fluid conduit between the free ink chamber and the capillary chamber, the fluid conduit comprising an opening through the divider;
• ink-retaining material in the capillary chamber;
• an outlet port through the cover wall into the capillary chamber, wherein the interior opening of the outlet port is substantially flush with the interior surface of the cover wall;
• and
• first and second structural projections from the top wall of the housing into the capillary chamber;
• wherein:
• the first and second structural projections abut the ink-retaining material;
• the first structural projection is a approximately opposite the outlet port;
• the first structural projection extends farther into the capillary chamber than does the second structural projection;
• the second structural projection is closer to the divider than is the first structural projection;
• the opening through the divider is adjacent the cover wall;
• and
• the density of the ink-retaining material along the interior surface of the cover wall between the opening and the outlet port is higher than the density of the ink-retaining material adjacent the divider and away from the cover wall.