Image forming apparatus including recording head for ejecting liquid droplets

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a recording head including a plurality of nozzles to eject liquid droplets, a plurality of individual liquid chambers communicating with the plurality of nozzles, and a plurality of pressure generators to generate pressure to pressurize liquid in the plurality of individual liquid chambers;
• means for applying an ejection pulse to a pressure generator of the plurality of pressure generators corresponding to an ejection nozzle of the plurality of nozzles;
• and
• means for controlling a dummy ejection operation to eject liquid droplets not contributing to image formation, wherein the means for controlling controls a first dummy ejection operation to eject the liquid droplets to a non-image-forming area per a constant length of a continuous recording medium and a second dummy ejection operation to eject the liquid droplets to an image forming area of the continuous recording medium,
• wherein the means for applying applies a first non-ejection pulse to pressure generators corresponding to at least one of non-ejection nozzles to vibrate a meniscus of liquid in the non-ejection nozzles without ejecting the liquid droplets in the image forming area of the continuous recording medium, and applies a second non-ejection pulse, which vibrates the meniscus of liquid greater than the first non-ejection pulse, to pressure generators corresponding to the at least one of non-ejection nozzles to vibrate the meniscus of liquid in the non-ejection nozzles without ejecting liquid droplets in the non-image forming area of the continuous recording medium;
• and
• the means for applying applies the second non-ejection pulse after the first dummy ejection operation when the recording head faces the non-image forming area of the continuous recording medium.

An image forming method for an image forming apparatus having a recording head including a plurality of nozzles to eject liquid droplets, a plurality of individual liquid chambers communicating with the plurality of nozzles, and a plurality of pressure generators to generate pressure to pressurize liquid in the plurality of individual liquid chambers, the method comprising:

• controlling a dummy ejection operation to eject liquid droplets not contributing to image formation, including a first dummy ejection operation to eject the liquid droplets to a non-image-forming area per a constant length of a continuous recording medium and a second dummy ejection operation to eject the liquid droplets to an image forming area of the continuous recording medium;
• applying a first non-ejection pulse to pressure generators corresponding to at least one of non-ejection nozzles to vibrate a meniscus of liquid in the non-ejection nozzles without ejecting the liquid droplets in the image forming area of the continuous recording medium;
• and
• applying a second non-ejection pulse, which vibrates the meniscus of liquid greater than the first non-ejection pulse, to pressure generators corresponding to the at least one of non-ejection nozzles to vibrate the meniscus of liquid in the non-ejection nozzles without ejecting liquid droplets in the non-image forming area of the continuous recording medium, wherein
• the step of applying the second non-ejection pulse includes applying the second non-ejection pulse after the first dummy ejection operation when the recording head faces the non-image forming area of the continuous recording medium.