Provided is an ink jet printing method including: subjecting a printing medium to corona discharge treatment; and applying an ink containing an anionic pigment to a surface of the printing medium subjected to the corona discharge treatment, wherein the corona discharge treatment has a discharge quantity of 3,400 W.Math.min/m.sup.2 or more.

A continuous ink jet print head, including: a droplet generator (32, 32, 32) for generating ink droplets (64); a charging electrode (22, 22, 22) having a passageway (74, 74, 74) through which the ink droplets travel to receive a charge; a deflection electrode (60, 60, 60) for deflecting the charged ink droplets; a gutter (50, 50, 50, 50) having a gutter entrance (52, 52, 52, 52); wherein the passageway is aligned with the gutter entrance through which uncharged droplets enter; and a mounting deck (10, 10, 10) configured to secure the gutter entrance into a fixed, nonadjustable gutter entrance position (56, 56, 56, 56) and to secure the charging electrode into a fixed, nonadjustable charging electrode position (24, 24, 24) relative to the gutter entrance.

A continuous ink jet print head, including: a droplet generator (32, 32, 32) for generating ink droplets (64); a charging electrode (22, 22, 22) having a passageway (74, 74, 74) through which the ink droplets travel to receive a charge; a deflection electrode (60, 60, 60) for deflecting the charged ink droplets; a gutter (50, 50, 50, 50) having a gutter entrance (52, 52, 52, 52); wherein the passageway is aligned with the gutter entrance through which uncharged droplets enter; and a mounting deck (10, 10, 10) configured to secure the gutter entrance into a fixed, nonadjustable gutter entrance position (56, 56, 56, 56) and to secure the charging electrode into a fixed, nonadjustable charging electrode position (24, 24, 24) relative to the gutter entrance.

A liquid jet printing apparatus is provided having a nozzle for emitting a stream of liquid droplets toward a substrate, a charging section for providing an electrical charge to liquid droplets and a pair of electrically conductive deflection plates for creating an electrical field capable of deflecting the liquid droplets to a desired location on the substrate, wherein a resistor is provided between a power source and the electrical field to limit current from the power source during electrical arcing between the deflection plates, thereby minimizing disruption to the electrical field and minimizing electromagnetic pulses.

A liquid jet printing apparatus is provided having a nozzle for emitting a stream of liquid droplets toward a substrate, a charging section for providing an electrical charge to liquid droplets and a pair of electrically conductive deflection plates for creating an electrical field capable of deflecting the liquid droplets to a desired location on the substrate, wherein a resistor is provided between a power source and the electrical field to limit current from the power source during electrical arcing between the deflection plates, thereby minimizing disruption to the electrical field and minimizing electromagnetic pulses.

The current at a deflection electrode 23, 25 of an electrostatic deflection continuous inkjet printer 127 is monitored. If the current reaches a level higher than normal for a clean print head but below the current required to trigger an automatic shutdown, a warning is generated. The warning indicates that an automatic shutdown is likely to follow unless the print head is cleaned. This allows the operator to shut the printer down in a planned manner for cleaning. The warning may be provided at the printer 127 or it may be provided by an external system 121, 129 which allows personnel who are not at the printer to be alerted. The monitoring may be done by the printer or information about the deflection electrode current may be provided to an external system 121, 129 that performs the monitoring.

The current at a deflection electrode 23, 25 of an electrostatic deflection continuous inkjet printer 127 is monitored. If the current reaches a level higher than normal for a clean print head but below the current required to trigger an automatic shutdown, a warning is generated. The warning indicates that an automatic shutdown is likely to follow unless the print head is cleaned. This allows the operator to shut the printer down in a planned manner for cleaning. The warning may be provided at the printer 127 or it may be provided by an external system 121, 129 which allows personnel who are not at the printer to be alerted. The monitoring may be done by the printer or information about the deflection electrode current may be provided to an external system 121, 129 that performs the monitoring.

A contact-type patterning apparatus includes: a nozzle comprising an electrode configured to receive a voltage to generate an electric field toward a substrate, and configured to eject a fluid so that the fluid is connected to the substrate; a voltage supply configured to apply the voltage to the electrode; a screw-type pump configured to supply the fluid into the nozzle through a screw configured to receive power from a motor to rotate; a transfer part configured to transfer the nozzle or the substrate so that the fluid is patterned in a line shape; and a controller configured to control a level of the voltage applied through the voltage supply, an operation of the transfer part, and an operation of the pump.

A contact-type patterning apparatus includes: a nozzle comprising an electrode configured to receive a voltage to generate an electric field toward a substrate, and configured to eject a fluid so that the fluid is connected to the substrate; a voltage supply configured to apply the voltage to the electrode; a screw-type pump configured to supply the fluid into the nozzle through a screw configured to receive power from a motor to rotate; a transfer part configured to transfer the nozzle or the substrate so that the fluid is patterned in a line shape; and a controller configured to control a level of the voltage applied through the voltage supply, an operation of the transfer part, and an operation of the pump.

An inkjet recording device automatically determines an excitation voltage of a piezoelectric element for formation of ink droplets. An excitation voltage value is applied to the piezoelectric element of a nozzle over a plurality of sweeping events. A charge voltage is applied to ink droplets generated by the applied excitation voltage value in a plurality of arbitrary printing phases to give an electric charge thereto. A charge amount given to the ink droplets is detected by a sensor to obtain a printing phase. When the relationship of a current printing phase to a previous printing phase detected for each sweeping event is reversed from an increasing side to a decreasing side and two decrease determinations of the printing phase are established in succession, an excitation voltage value corresponding to the printing phase of the sweeping event immediately before the first decrease determination is set as a final excitation voltage value.