A printing apparatus includes an ink application unit, a reactant application unit, a control unit configured to control an application amount of the reactant to be applied by the reactant application unit, and an identification unit configured to identify a pixel included in a line portion based on image data indicating an image to be formed on the print medium. The control unit controls the application amount of the reactant so that an amount per unit area of the reactant to be applied to a region in which the line portion to be formed on the print medium with the pixel identified by the identification unit is to be printed is less than the amount per unit area of the reactant to be applied to a region in which an image including a pixel not identified by the identification unit is formed.

A tank unit is configured to introduce liquid supplied from a container and to lead out liquid toward a head configured to eject the liquid. The tank unit includes a storage section that stores the liquid supplied from the container, an introduction section that introduces the liquid supplied from the container into the storage section, an atmosphere opening section configured to open inside of the storage section to atmosphere, and an outlet section that leads out the liquid stored in the storage section. The introduction section is connected to the storage section, extends in a vertical direction in the storage section, and has an open end located within the storage section. The storage section includes a blocking section including a first protruding section located at a position in the vertical direction facing the open end and a second protruding section extending upward from the first protruding section.

There is provided a maintenance method of a head unit including a first nozzle array and a second nozzle array, the method including: in a first period, supplying a first driving signal having a first waveform to one first driving element corresponding to one first nozzle belonging to the first nozzle array to eject the liquid from one first nozzle; and supplying a second driving signal having a second waveform to one second driving element corresponding to one second nozzle belonging to the second nozzle array to eject the liquid from one second nozzle; and in a second period, supplying a third driving signal having a third waveform to the one first driving element to eject the liquid from the one first nozzle; and supplying a fourth driving signal having a fourth waveform to the one second driving element to eject the liquid from the one second nozzle.

A printing apparatus includes a print execution section and a controller. The print execution section includes: a printing head having nozzles arranged in a first direction; a head driver that drives the printing head to discharge ink from the nozzles thereby forming dots on a printing medium; and a movement mechanism that moves the printing medium relative to the printing head in any of the first direction and a second direction intersecting with the first direction. The controller obtains a piece of object image data, generates, by using the object image data, a plurality of pieces of dot data indicating formation states of the dots for pixels, and prints a printing image by causing the print execution section to execute discharge of the ink and movement of the printing medium by use of the pieces of dot data.

An inkjet printing system with a droplet measurement apparatus is described herein. The droplet measurement apparatus has a light source with a collimating optical system, an imaging device disposed along an optical path of the collimating optical system, and a droplet illumination zone in the optical path of the collimating optical system, the droplet illumination zone having a varying droplet illumination location, wherein the light source, the imaging device, or both are adjustable to place a focal plane of the imaging device at the droplet illumination location. The droplet measurement apparatus is structured to accommodate at least a portion of a dispenser of the printing system within the droplet illumination zone.

In a printhead control circuit causing a printhead to execute printing, the printhead performing abnormality detection in response to a first signal inputted to a second terminal in a state in which the potential of a first terminal is a first potential and a second signal inputted to the second terminal in a state in which the potential of the first terminal is a second potential, one of the first and second potentials is higher than the potentials of the first and second signals, and a signal circuit is configured to output the first and second signals. The signal circuit outputs the first signal to the second wire electrically coupled to the second terminal in a state in which the first wire is being supplied with a first voltage signal at the first potential and outputs the second signal to the second wire after outputting the first signal in a state in which the first wire is being supplied with a second voltage signal at the second potential, which is different from the first potential, to cause the printhead to execute the abnormality detection in response to the first signal, the second signal, the first voltage signal, and the second voltage signal.

In a printhead control circuit causing a printhead to execute printing, the printhead performing abnormality detection in response to a first signal inputted to a second terminal in a state in which the potential of a first terminal is a first potential and a second signal inputted to the second terminal in a state in which the potential of the first terminal is a second potential, one of the first and second potentials is higher than the potentials of the first and second signals, and a signal circuit is configured to output the first and second signals. The signal circuit outputs the first signal to the second wire electrically coupled to the second terminal in a state in which the first wire is being supplied with a first voltage signal at the first potential and outputs the second signal to the second wire after outputting the first signal in a state in which the first wire is being supplied with a second voltage signal at the second potential, which is different from the first potential, to cause the printhead to execute the abnormality detection in response to the first signal, the second signal, the first voltage signal, and the second voltage signal.

Provided is a printhead that performs printing by supplying a drive signal inputted to a second terminal to a drive element according to print data inputted to a first terminal, the printhead including: the first terminal; the second terminal; a determination circuit configured to perform based on different criteria, first determination to determine, in response to a first signal inputted to the first terminal, whether a potential of the second terminal is normal and second determination to determine, in response to a second signal inputted to the first terminal, whether the potential of the second terminal is normal; and a permission circuit configured to permit printing when the potential of the second terminal is determined to be normal in the first determination and second determination and does not permit printing when the potential of the second terminal is determined to be not normal in the first determination or second determination.

Provided is a printhead that performs printing by supplying a drive signal inputted to a second terminal to a drive element according to print data inputted to a first terminal, the printhead including: the first terminal; the second terminal; a determination circuit configured to perform based on different criteria, first determination to determine, in response to a first signal inputted to the first terminal, whether a potential of the second terminal is normal and second determination to determine, in response to a second signal inputted to the first terminal, whether the potential of the second terminal is normal; and a permission circuit configured to permit printing when the potential of the second terminal is determined to be normal in the first determination and second determination and does not permit printing when the potential of the second terminal is determined to be not normal in the first determination or second determination.

A liquid circulation device includes a liquid chamber that stores a liquid that is to be supplied to a liquid discharge head. A pipeline through which the liquid can be circulated between the liquid chamber and the liquid discharge head is provided. A heater heats the liquid circulating in the pipeline. A first temperature sensor measures the temperature of the heater, and a second temperature sensor measures the temperature of the liquid in the pipeline. A controller controls the heating of the heater based on the liquid temperature measured by the second temperature sensor. The controller also monitors a change in the measured temperature of the heater over time and turns off the heating of the heater when the monitored change satisfies a predetermined stop condition.