A recording device includes a recording head for performing recording on a recording medium, a transporter for transporting the recording medium, a platen for supporting the recording medium, a heater for heating the recording medium supported by the platen, and a control unit, wherein the control unit causes the heater to heat the recording medium at a predetermined and constant heating temperature, causes the recording head and the transporter to record a first test pattern of a predetermined recording density, and a second test pattern of a recording density different from the predetermined recording density on the recording medium, and the recording density of the first test pattern and the recording density of the second test pattern can be set in the heater, and are associated with heating temperature different from each other.

A recording device includes a recording head for performing recording on a recording medium, a transporter for transporting the recording medium, a platen for supporting the recording medium, a heater for heating the recording medium supported by the platen, and a control unit, wherein the control unit causes the heater to heat the recording medium at a predetermined and constant heating temperature, causes the recording head and the transporter to record a first test pattern of a predetermined recording density, and a second test pattern of a recording density different from the predetermined recording density on the recording medium, and the recording density of the first test pattern and the recording density of the second test pattern can be set in the heater, and are associated with heating temperature different from each other.

A printed graphical code has H lines and a W columns i (i=1, . . . W) and a pattern of H×W cells, each at the intersection of a column and a line. Each cell or dot is formed with a drop from a printhead of a continuous inkjet printer and two successive dots of a column are separated by at least one non printed cell. A method for printing each column comprises: retrieving or selecting charges to be applied to each drop for printing the dots of the column from a set of data or database of charges for each of a number of configurations of drops to be printed, the number being equal to or less than 2.sup.(H/2)+1 if H is an even number or equal to or less than 2.sup.((H+1)/2)+1 if H is an odd number; charging the drops for printing according to the retrieved charges; and printing the column.

A printed graphical code has H lines and a W columns i (i=1, . . . W) and a pattern of H×W cells, each at the intersection of a column and a line. Each cell or dot is formed with a drop from a printhead of a continuous inkjet printer and two successive dots of a column are separated by at least one non printed cell. A method for printing each column comprises: retrieving or selecting charges to be applied to each drop for printing the dots of the column from a set of data or database of charges for each of a number of configurations of drops to be printed, the number being equal to or less than 2.sup.(H/2)+1 if H is an even number or equal to or less than 2.sup.((H+1)/2)+1 if H is an odd number; charging the drops for printing according to the retrieved charges; and printing the column.

An aspect of the present invention provides an ejection volume correction method for an inkjet head, including: an arranging step of ejecting functional ink as ink droplets from nozzles of an inkjet head so as to discretely arrange the ink droplets on a front surface of a substrate; a contacting step of filling the functional ink in between a mold and the substrate by causing the mold to contact the ink droplets arranged on the front surface of the substrate; a curing step of curing the filled functional ink so as to generate a functional film; a separating step of separating the mold from the functional film; a measuring step of measuring a thickness of the functional film; and a correcting step of correcting an ejection volume from the nozzles based on the measured thickness.

An aspect of the present invention provides an ejection volume correction method for an inkjet head, including: an arranging step of ejecting functional ink as ink droplets from nozzles of an inkjet head so as to discretely arrange the ink droplets on a front surface of a substrate; a contacting step of filling the functional ink in between a mold and the substrate by causing the mold to contact the ink droplets arranged on the front surface of the substrate; a curing step of curing the filled functional ink so as to generate a functional film; a separating step of separating the mold from the functional film; a measuring step of measuring a thickness of the functional film; and a correcting step of correcting an ejection volume from the nozzles based on the measured thickness.

Provided are a method for operating a CIJ printer with an optical monitoring means (80) having the steps of generating a bitmap (90,180) of the printed image to be printed, sequential controlling of charge electrodes (25) and/or deflection electrodes (30) of the CIJ printer, in order to generate dots or groups of dots of the bitmap (90,190) by applying ink droplets (12) to a substrate (100) to be printed and thus to sequentially apply a real printed image (195) to the substrate (100), capturing the real printed image (195) applied to the substrate (100) with the optical monitoring means (80), and automated comparing of the bitmap (90,190) of the desired printed image and of the real printed image (195) which has been applied to the substrate (100) and has been captured with the optical monitoring means (80), wherein the bitmap (90,190) of the desired printed image and the real image applied to the substrate (100) are automatically compared either on the basis of rows or columns of the bitmap (90,190) or on the basis of components of rows or columns of the bitmap (90,190), a CIJ printer for carrying out such a method and a method for teaching-in an optical monitoring means (80) of such a CIJ printer.

Provided are a method for operating a CIJ printer with an optical monitoring means (80) having the steps of generating a bitmap (90,180) of the printed image to be printed, sequential controlling of charge electrodes (25) and/or deflection electrodes (30) of the CIJ printer, in order to generate dots or groups of dots of the bitmap (90,190) by applying ink droplets (12) to a substrate (100) to be printed and thus to sequentially apply a real printed image (195) to the substrate (100), capturing the real printed image (195) applied to the substrate (100) with the optical monitoring means (80), and automated comparing of the bitmap (90,190) of the desired printed image and of the real printed image (195) which has been applied to the substrate (100) and has been captured with the optical monitoring means (80), wherein the bitmap (90,190) of the desired printed image and the real image applied to the substrate (100) are automatically compared either on the basis of rows or columns of the bitmap (90,190) or on the basis of components of rows or columns of the bitmap (90,190), a CIJ printer for carrying out such a method and a method for teaching-in an optical monitoring means (80) of such a CIJ printer.

According to an embodiment, a piezoelectric pump includes a pressure chamber. A groove is provided to a bottom portion of the pressure chamber. The groove includes an inlet and an outlet on a bottom portion of the groove, liquid being caused to flow in the pressure chamber through the inlet and to be discharged from the pressure chamber through the outlet.

An ink jet recording apparatus includes a charging electrode that charges ink particles ejected from a nozzle, a deflecting electrode that deflects the ink particles charged by the charging electrode, an operating unit that inputs and sets printing conditions for performing the printing, and a control unit, and the control unit receives a moving distance in a direction in which a printing target is conveyed from the operating unit, calculates the number of non-printing particles on the basis of the moving distance, and performs control for changing to a dot pattern in which the number of non-printing particles are inserted.