An image recording method is provided. The image recording method includes the steps of: applying a treatment liquid containing a pore forming material onto a recording medium to form a porous layer; and applying a metallic ink containing a metallic pigment onto the porous layer. A surface tension of the metallic ink at 23° C. is equal to or greater than a surface tension of the treatment liquid at 23° C. The surface tension of the metallic ink at 23° C. is 19 mN/m or more and 28 mN/m or less.

There is provided a head assembly including: a rigid substrate; a plurality of heads; a tank; a plurality of tubes; a heater; a plurality of flexible substrates; a relay substrate; a first member; and a second member arranged on one side in a first direction with respect to the first space. The rigid substrate is arranged in a first space formed in the first member. The tank, the heater, the plurality of tubes and the plurality of flexible substrates are arranged in a second space formed in the second member. The relay substrate is located between the first space and the second space in a first direction, and partitions the first space and the second space from each other.

In one example, a method comprises measuring, by a processor, the flow rate of a cleaning fluid to clean at least a portion of a printing apparatus. The measured flow rate is compared to a desired flow rate. When the measured flow rate is outside of a first deviation from the desired flow rate, but within a second deviation from the desired flow rate, then the method in this example comprises changing the operation of a component of a printing apparatus.

Systems and techniques for preserving and improving ink jet nozzle health and printing reliability are disclosed herein. The method may include monitoring whether a triggering event has occurred. In response to detecting the triggering event has occurred, pumping at least a portion of ink contained in a header tank in a direction toward an ink cartridge through a tube connecting the header tank to the ink cartridge. The header tank connected to a print head included as a part of a scan head. The method may further include circulating the ink through the tube back into the header tank, and agitating the scan head by moving the scan head along an x-y gantry. Additional methods may include reverse purging, ejecting a portion of ink through nozzles on the print head while simultaneously wiping a nozzle plate included on the print head, and randomizing print head location when printing.

To prevent a printing head not placed on a cleaning placing unit from being cleaned and prevent contamination of an ambient environment by cleaning liquid. An ink jet recording system includes a placement detecting unit configured to detect that a printing head 1 is placed on a cleaning placing unit 200. The placement detecting unit is configured to, when detecting that the printing head 1 is placed, transmit a signal based on placement confirmation for the printing head 1 to a controller connected to the printing head 1 placed on the cleaning placing unit 200.

A fluid ejection apparatus executes a cleaning process and an ejection operation of ejecting fluid from ejection ports while causing the fluid to flow from a supply port to a fluid collection port of a flow channel provided in a fluid ejection head. Moreover, the fluid ejection apparatus adjusts a flow rate of the fluid flowing in the flow channel to a first flow rate during the ejection operation and adjusts the flow rate of the fluid flowing in the flow channel to a second flow rate higher than the first flow rate at least during the cleaning process.

A liquid discharging apparatus, having a head, a reservoir section including a liquid reservoir chamber and an atmosphere communication path, a liquid flow path connecting the head with the liquid reservoir chamber, a switching assembly to switch states of the atmosphere communication path between a connecting state and a disconnecting state, and a controller, is provided. The controller is configured to control the switching assembly to switch the states of the atmosphere communication path from the connecting state to the disconnecting state; after switching the states of the atmosphere communication path, control the head to discharge the liquid; and after switching the states of the atmosphere communication path, and in response to a predetermined connection condition being satisfied, control the switching assembly to switch the states of the atmosphere communication path from the disconnecting state to the connecting state.

A liquid discharging apparatus, having a head, a reservoir section including a liquid reservoir chamber and an atmosphere communication path, a liquid flow path, a switching assembly, and a controller to control the switching assembly in a disconnecting process and the head in a discharging process after the disconnecting process, is provided. A volume of an air portion in the reservoir section is controlled to satisfy formulas: Vb=(Po+ΔP)*ΔV/ΔP and ΔP≤Pm. Po represents one atmosphere. AV represents a change in the volume of the air portion due to a change in a volume of the liquid caused by discharging a predetermined amount of liquid in the discharging process. AP represents a change in pressure of the air portion according to the change in the volume of the liquid in the discharging process. Pm represents a pressure resistance of menisci formed with the liquid in the nozzles.

An inkjet recording device and a method for controlling an inkjet recording device are provided. A heating device that heats the ink to be supplied to a nozzle immediately ahead of the nozzle, a thermometer that detects a temperature of the ink inside the heating device or after heating, a viscometer that detects a viscosity of the ink in a main ink container are provided. The heating device is driven using a detection value of the thermometer to control the temperature of the ink such that the viscosity reaches an ink viscosity which enables normal printing, and when the viscosity of the ink is out of a range which enables printing, the solvent or the replenishment ink is supplied to the main ink container using a detection value of the viscometer such that the viscosity reaches the range which enables normal printing.

A printing device and method is described comprising: selectively generating a negative fluid pressure between one of one or more printing fluid supplies and a first one of first and second ports of a printhead; selectively generating a positive fluid pressure between one of said printing fluid supplies and a second one of the first and second ports of the printhead; and providing a first pulsed signal to a first priming pump associated with a first one of the first and second ports, wherein the first one of said first and second ports of the printhead is opened under the control of said first priming pump, such that printing fluid within the printhead exits the printhead through the first one of the first and second ports.