Inkjet printing with air movement system
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsDavid McElfresh, Satya Prakash, Naoto Kawamura
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A printer for printing on a print medium includes a printhead having ink orifices formed therein through which ink drops are ejected into a print zone between the printhead and the print medium during printing, wherein the printhead has a scan axis oriented substantially perpendicular to a first column and a second column of the ink orifices and along which the printhead traverses during printing, and an air movement system directing a stream of gas to the print zone substantially parallel to the first column and the second column of the ink orifices and offset from and between the first column and the second column of the ink orifices as the ink drops are ejected during printing.
Claims46
A printer for printing on a print medium, the printer comprising:
- a printhead having ink orifices formed therein through which ink drops are ejected into a print zone between the printhead and the print medium during printing, the printhead having a scan axis oriented substantially perpendicular to a first column and a second column of the ink orifices and along which the printhead traverses during printing;
- and
- an air movement system directing a stream of gas to the print zone substantially parallel to the first column and the second column of the ink orifices and offset from and between the first column and the second column of the ink orifices as the ink drops are ejected during printing,
- wherein the air movement system includes a flow channel having a flow path oriented substantially perpendicular to the first column of the second column of the ink orifices.
A printer for printing on a print medium, the printer comprising:
- a printhead having ink orifices formed therein through which ink drops are ejected toward the print medium during printing, the printhead having a scan axis oriented substantially perpendicular to a column of the ink orifices and along which the printhead traverses during printing, the printhead having a leading end oriented substantially perpendicular to the scan axis and a trailing end opposite the leading end;
- and
- an air movement system including at least one flow channel which directs a stream of gas in a direction opposite a printing direction and substantially perpendicular to the scan axis to the trailing end of the printhead when the printhead traverses the scan axis during printing.
A printer for printing on a print medium, the printer comprising:
- a printhead having ink orifices formed therein through which ink drops are ejected toward the print medium during printing, the printhead having a scan axis oriented substantially perpendicular to a column of the ink orifices and along which the printhead traverses during printing, the printhead having a leading end oriented substantially perpendicular to the scan axis and a trailing end opposite the leading end;
- and
- an air movement system including at least one flow channel directing a stream of gas in a direction opposite a printing direction and substantially perpendicular to the scan axis to the trailing end of the printhead when the printhead traverses the scan axis during printing, wherein the stream of gas prevents air currents from forming and acting on the ink drops during printing to prevent print defects caused by the air currents.
A method of printing on a print medium with a printer including a printhead having a scan axis and ink orifices formed therein, the method comprising:
- traversing the print medium with the printhead along the scan axis in a direction substantially perpendicular to a column of the ink orifices during printing;
- ejecting ink drops through the ink orifices toward the print medium during printing;
- and
- directing a stream of gas in a direction opposite a printing direction and substantially perpendicular to the scan axis to a trailing end of the printhead with at least one flow channel while traversing the print medium during printing, wherein the stream of gas prevents air currents from forming and acting on the ink drops during printing to prevent print defects caused by the air currents.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.