An apparatus and a method for forming a dimensionally stable, three-dimensional object (12) by consecutively or continuously applying and hardening a shapeable printing material (89).

A printing system includes a printing apparatus providing, in a case a first type of printing material is loaded to a print unit without loading a second type of printing material, a host device with a first printing service using a first identifier to identify the printing apparatus, and in a case where at least the second type of printing material is loaded to the print unit, to provide the host device with a second printing service using a different second identifier. The host device obtains printability information when an identifier provided from the printing apparatus is an unknown identifier, the printability information being information indicating a printable condition with the printing apparatus, sets the printable condition with the printing apparatus based on the obtained printability information, and transmits a printing job based on the set condition to the printing apparatus.

A printing system includes a printing apparatus providing, in a case a first type of printing material is loaded to a print unit without loading a second type of printing material, a host device with a first printing service using a first identifier to identify the printing apparatus, and in a case where at least the second type of printing material is loaded to the print unit, to provide the host device with a second printing service using a different second identifier. The host device obtains printability information when an identifier provided from the printing apparatus is an unknown identifier, the printability information being information indicating a printable condition with the printing apparatus, sets the printable condition with the printing apparatus based on the obtained printability information, and transmits a printing job based on the set condition to the printing apparatus.

A liquid discharge method for a liquid discharge apparatus having a plurality of print modes includes determining and changing. The determining determines the print modes by a determiner. The changing changes, based on the print mode determined by the determiner, a use nozzle width and a discharge amount of a spot color head in a line feed direction such that a print mode having a low print speed has a narrower nozzle width and a larger discharge amount than a print mode having a high print speed by a controller.

A method for printing sheet-type substrates to prevent streaks during the ink-jet paint coating of substrates, includes moving a substrate in a feed direction past an application device by means of a conveying device, applying with the application device, during the movement of the substrate, a fluid application material drop by drop to the surface of the substrate in a pattern with a pre-defined contour, in particular leaving out regions, through a plurality of ink-jet nozzles arranged in a row transversely to the feed direction, in response to computer-controlled switching signals, and during the application of the pattern and during the movement of the substrate, moving the ink-jet nozzles back and forth transversely to the feed direction, preferably in the longitudinal direction of the arranged row of ink-jet nozzles, such that the paths travelled by the nozzles over the substrate by the overlap of the movement back and forth with the movement in the feed direction have direction components running perpendicular to the feed direction.

There is provided with a printing apparatus. An ink tank stores ink to be supplied to a printhead configured to eject ink. An ink supply path supplies ink from the ink tank to the printhead. A conveying unit conveys a print medium to the printhead. A cover member is arranged so as to be able to open and close with respect to the printing apparatus. A manual valve is arranged in a region through which the print medium conveyed by the conveying unit passes and can be switched between an opening state in which the ink tank and the printhead communicate and a closing state. An operating portion is arranged at a position which is exposed when the cover member is opened and can be operated to switch the manual valve.

A controller extracts an image resolution in a first direction of image data stored in a memory; determines, based on the image data, whether a code image is included in an image to be printed on a recording medium, the code image being formed with a plurality of print regions and a plurality of non-print regions; in response to determining that the code image is included, determines whether a print resolution in the first direction is lower than the extracted image resolution in the first direction; in response to determining that the print resolution is lower than the extracted image resolution, updates the print resolution in the first direction with a value equal to or higher than the extracted image resolution in the first direction; and controls a print engine to perform printing on the recording medium with the updated print resolution in the first direction.

An image forming apparatus includes a placement member, carriages, a support member, a driver and a hardware processor. The placement member has a placement surface. The carriages each include an image forming operation unit that performs an operation for forming an image on a recording medium placed on the placement surface. The support member supports the carriages such that the carriages are reciprocally movable along a predetermined movement path over the placement surface. The driver moves the carriages along the movement path independently from one another. In response to at least two of the carriages being moving along the movement path, the hardware processor controls the driver such that the number of carriages in a predetermined limit-imposed region of the movement path is equal to or less than a predetermined upper limit number that is less than the number of the carriages included in the image forming apparatus.

Printing machine, for printing a laminar web, comprising a feeding unit (10) defining a printing area (A); an inkjet printing station (20) comprising a plurality of inkjet printing modules (21) slidably arranged along a transverse guide (22); a positioning device (30) adapted to precisely slide the inkjet printing modules (21) along the transverse guide (22); wherein each inkjet printing module (21) includes a first coupling (31) and is independent from other inkjet printing modules (21) allowing an independent movement of each inkjet printing module (21) along the transverse guide (22); and the positioning device (30) includes a second coupling (32) complementary to each first coupling (31), the second coupling (32) being releasably engageable to each first coupling (31) in an automatic manner, the positioning device (30) being configured to precisely slide each inkjet printing module (21) engaged thereto, along the transverse guide (22).

Printing machine, for printing a laminar web, comprising a feeding unit (10) defining a printing area (A); an inkjet printing station (20) comprising a plurality of inkjet printing modules (21) slidably arranged along a transverse guide (22); a positioning device (30) adapted to precisely slide the inkjet printing modules (21) along the transverse guide (22); wherein each inkjet printing module (21) includes a first coupling (31) and is independent from other inkjet printing modules (21) allowing an independent movement of each inkjet printing module (21) along the transverse guide (22); and the positioning device (30) includes a second coupling (32) complementary to each first coupling (31), the second coupling (32) being releasably engageable to each first coupling (31) in an automatic manner, the positioning device (30) being configured to precisely slide each inkjet printing module (21) engaged thereto, along the transverse guide (22).