A printing apparatus, including a discharging head for discharging ultraviolet-curable ink droplets, an energizer to supply energy to the ink droplets, a carriage with the discharging head and the energizer mounted thereon movable in a main scanning direction, and a controller, is provided. The controller forms a dots-linked portion having a plurality of the ink droplets landed on the printable medium being linked with one another and cured in a shape elongated in the main scanning direction. The controller forms both a dividing dot and a divided-dots linking portion or the divided-dots linking portion alone. The dividing dot is formed of a single one of the ink droplets cured independently at a position to one of adjoin and overlap the dots-linked portion in the main scanning direction. The divided-dots linking portion has a plurality of the ink droplets being linked and cured in a shape elongated in a sub-scanning direction.

A printing apparatus, including a discharging head for discharging ultraviolet-curable ink droplets, an energizer to supply energy to the ink droplets, a carriage with the discharging head and the energizer mounted thereon movable in a main scanning direction, and a controller, is provided. The controller forms a dots-linked portion having a plurality of the ink droplets landed on the printable medium being linked with one another and cured in a shape elongated in the main scanning direction. The controller forms both a dividing dot and a divided-dots linking portion or the divided-dots linking portion alone. The dividing dot is formed of a single one of the ink droplets cured independently at a position to one of adjoin and overlap the dots-linked portion in the main scanning direction. The divided-dots linking portion has a plurality of the ink droplets being linked and cured in a shape elongated in a sub-scanning direction.

A machine for inkjet decoration of ceramic manufactured articles, comprising a basic frame; one supporting surface having a surface to be decorated, where the supporting surface is movable along a direction; a plurality of printing heads each provided with a plurality of nozzles substantially aligned with each other along a relevant line of action and adapted to dispense ink along a relevant direction of dispensing, each of the heads defining a respective range of action on the surface to be decorated, wherein the heads comprise a fixed head(s) and a swivel head(s), and comprises a plurality of groups of heads, where each of the groups comprises a plurality of rows of heads arranged parallel to each other along a direction transverse to the direction, the heads of each of the rows being staggered with respect to the heads of the adjacent row belonging to the same group.

A printer comprising a printhead comprising a number of non-staggered nozzles and a processor communicatively coupled to the printhead, in which the processor executes computer usable program code to adjust the firing time of a number of nozzles within a group of nozzles by a portion of a full dot row. A method comprising, with a processor, adjusting the firing time of a number of nozzles within a group of nozzles of a printhead by a portion of a full dot row by delaying the firing of a subset of those nozzles by a full dot row, in which the nozzles of the printhead are not staggered.

A method of controlling a printer is disclosed, the printer including a number of print heads extending across a print zone, and each print head including at least one nozzle array extending in a direction of a print head axis. Each nozzle array comprises a center section of nozzles and side sections of nozzles, wherein the side sections of neighboring nozzle arrays overlap defining an overlap region and the center sections of the nozzle arrays define non-overlap regions. The method includes: printing a test pattern using at least two nozzle arrays, the test pattern comprising an interferential-type pattern printed by the side sections of the nozzle arrays in the overlap region and a reference pattern printed by the center sections of the nozzle arrays in the non-overlap regions; detecting characteristics of the printed test pattern; comparing the characteristics of the printed test pattern in the overlap region and in the non-overlap region; and deriving information concerning the alignment of nozzle arrays from the comparison

In one example, an apparatus is described, which includes a platen locating the print medium, at least one printhead for marking on the print medium, a carriage holding the at least one printhead, a sensor at least partially mounted to the carriage to measure a printhead-to-platen spacing (PPS) along scanning axis during scanning, and an integrated circuit including a dynamic compensation module and a PPS analysis module to delay firing of printing fluid drops from the at least one printhead to compensate platen defects based on the measured PPS.

A printing system includes a print bar, a plurality of printheads installed on the print bar and an auxiliary printhead moveable parallel to the print bar. A number of first nozzles of the auxiliary printhead substitute for a number of second nozzles of the printheads during a nozzle servicing operation performed on the second nozzles.

A printing system includes a print bar, a plurality of printheads installed on the print bar and an auxiliary printhead moveable parallel to the print bar. A number of first nozzles of the auxiliary printhead substitute for a number of second nozzles of the printheads during a nozzle servicing operation performed on the second nozzles.

An inkjet printhead includes a two-dimensional array of drop ejectors arranged as a plurality of columns, each column including a plurality of banks, and each bank including a plurality of groups that each include a plurality of drop ejectors. The drop ejectors in each group are substantially aligned along a first direction. The groups in each bank are spaced from each other along the first direction and are offset from each other along a second direction. The banks in each column are spaced from each other along the first direction and are offset from each other along the second direction. The columns are offset from each other along the second direction. The two-dimensional array has a width W along the first direction and a length L greater than W along the second direction. Each drop ejector includes a nozzle, an ink inlet, a pressure chamber and an actuator

A method of printing an image with a printhead having spatially offset groups of drop ejectors, each group having a plurality of drop ejectors that are aligned substantially along a scan direction, includes enabling simultaneous firing of drop ejectors that are corresponding members of a first set of groups. Drop ejectors within each group of the first set are sequentially fired until each member of each group has had opportunity to fire. Corresponding drop ejectors of a second set of groups are simultaneously fired, and drop ejectors within each group of the second set are sequentially fired. Any additional groups of drop ejectors are likewise fired until all drop ejectors have had opportunity to fire during a first stroke. Drop ejectors are fired in subsequent strokes similar to the first stroke as the recording medium is moved relative to the printhead along the scan direction until printing is completed.