Various embodiments disclose a method of detecting a media jam in a printer. The method includes causing a sensor unit of the printer to generate a sensor signal indicative of a reflectance characteristic associated with a surface of a roller of the printer. Further, the method includes receiving the sensor signal from the sensor unit of the printer and comparing the reflectance characteristic to a threshold reflectance characteristic associated with the roller. Furthermore, in response to the comparison, the method includes generating an output signal to indicate whether the media jam has occurred. For example, a first output signal indicates unsuccessful passage of a media along a media path of the printer, when the reflectance characteristic exceeds the threshold reflectance characteristic and a second output signal indicates successful passage of the media along the media path, when the reflectance characteristic is equal to or below the threshold reflectance characteristic.

An image forming apparatus includes a photoelectric sensor and a controller. The photoelectric sensor emits light to an object to be detected, receives the light reflected on the object and outputs an electric signal corresponding to a quantity of the reflected light. The object includes a facing surface area and a sheet on the facing surface area. The controller detects whether the sheet exists on the facing surface area in accordance with an output of the photoelectric sensor. The controller stores, as a threshold of the output of the photoelectric sensor, a first threshold for determining that the sheet does not exist on the facing surface area and a second threshold for determining that the sheet exists on the facing surface area, and determines that the facing surface area is contaminated when the output of the photoelectric sensor is within a range between the first threshold and the second threshold.

A recording device includes a recording head configured to discharge ink onto a recording medium to perform recording, a carriage mounted with the recording head, and configured to perform scanning, a liquid receiving portion disposed so as to face the recording head, so that the recording head discards the ink into the liquid receiving portion, a distance sensor configured to measure a position of a top portion in a vertical direction of a deposit formed by the ink deposited in the liquid receiving portion, and a control unit configured to determine, based on a result of the measurement by the distance sensor, whether the deposit in the liquid receiving portion needs to be removed.

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a conveyor, a discharger, a first mover, an output device, a second mover, and circuitry. The conveyor conveys an elongated web in a conveyance direction in a state in which tension is applied to the web. The discharger discharges liquid to the web conveyed by the conveyor. The first mover moves the discharger in a width direction intersecting the conveyance direction. The output device outputs position information of the web in the width direction. The second mover moves the output device in the width direction. The circuitry controls movement of the discharger based on the position information of the web. The circuitry controls movement of the output device based on information of a length of the web in the width direction and expansion-and-contraction range information of the web in the width direction to change a position of the output device in the width direction.

An inkjet printing apparatus is configured to print the image in N (N is an integer of four or more) print scanning operations of a print head for a unit region of the print medium by using N mask patterns used in the N print scanning operations. The inkjet printing apparatus includes: an obtaining unit configured to obtain defective nozzle information specifying a defective nozzle; and a correction unit configured to divide the N mask patterns into mask groups each corresponding to two or more print scanning operations and correct the mask patterns based on the defective nozzle information in each of the divided mask groups.

A printer includes: a transport roller for transporting recording paper in a transport direction; a head for printing on the recording paper; a cutter disposed downstream of the head in the transport direction and configured to cut the recording paper; a first sensor disposed downstream of the cutter in the transport direction and configured to detect the recording paper; a communication section configured to receive print data; and a controller. The controller detects the recording paper by using the first sensor at least at startup, when the recording paper is detected, the recording paper is transported by the transport roller and is cut by the cutter, whereas when the recording paper is not detected, the recording paper is not transported by the transport roller and is not cut by the cutter, and when the communication section receives the print data, the controller performs printing on the recording paper by using the head.

A liquid discharge apparatus includes liquid discharge head units, an image sensor, and processing circuitry. The circuitry detects, based on image data detected by the sensor, an amount of deviation between positions on an object onto which liquid has been discharged by the head units; corrects a timing of discharging the liquid, based on the amount of deviation; switches between first control of conveying the object at a first speed while the sensor images the object with a first image size and second control of conveying the object at a second speed faster than the first speed while the sensor images the object with a second image size having a smaller number of pixels; and sets pixel positions of the sensor used for imaging during the second control, according to the amount of deviation detected based on the image data imaged with the first image size by the first control.

Disclosed is droplet ejecting apparatus that ejects droplets of a functional liquid onto a workpiece to draw a pattern. The droplet ejecting apparatus includes: a workpiece table; a droplet ejecting head configured to eject the droplets onto the workpiece placed on the workpiece table; a movement mechanism configured to relatively move the workpiece table and the droplet ejecting head in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction; and a control unit configured to: detect a position of the workpiece or a position of the workpiece table while relatively moving the workpiece table and the droplet ejecting head along a plurality of scanning lines extending in the main scanning direction and set side by side in the sub-scanning direction; and create, based on a detection result, a correction table that indicates a correlation between a position of the movement mechanism and a positional correction amount of the workpiece table.

A printer according to an embodiment includes a conveying unit, a holding unit, a supporting unit, a second detecting unit, and a control unit. The conveying unit conveys paper. The holding unit includes a light emitting unit configured to radiate light and a first detecting unit configured to detect the light reflected on the paper. The supporting unit supports the holding unit to be movable in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the paper. The second detecting unit is disposed on an opposite side of the light emitting unit across a paper conveying path, on which the conveying unit conveys the paper, and detects the light radiated by the light emitting unit. The control unit determines, based on a detection result of the second detecting unit, whether the light emitting unit is present in a position opposed to the second detecting unit.

The controller of an inkjet recording apparatus supplies a recording medium onto the conveyor belt with a pair of registration rollers based on a detection result of the trailing edge of the recording medium by a first detection sensor and a detection result of an opening by a second detection sensor. The controller determines whether the recording medium is being placed on the conveyor belt coinciding with the opening that is moved due to the traveling of the conveyor belt, and based on the determination result, the controller controls the recording head to execute flushing and the pair of registration rollers to supply a subsequent recording medium onto the conveyor belt.