A printing apparatus includes a printing head including a first nozzle configured to discharge a first ink and a second nozzle configured to discharge a second ink having a higher brightness than the first ink, and a control unit configured to control the printing head to print, on a printing medium, a test pattern for inspecting a state of ink discharge by the first nozzle and the second nozzle. The test pattern includes a first pattern element formed by a plurality of dots of the first ink and a second pattern element formed by a plurality of dots of the second ink. The control unit causes the printing head to print the test pattern where a number of the dots of the second ink forming the second pattern element is greater than a number of the dots of the first ink forming the first pattern element.

A printing device includes a printing portion, a maintenance portion, and a controller. The printing portion includes an ejection head and prints using ink. The maintenance portion performs maintenance on the ejection head. The maintenance involves consumption of ink. The controller has a manual maintenance mode and an automated maintenance mode. In the manual maintenance mode, the controller executes a maintenance using the maintenance portion in response to a maintenance command signal based on a manual operation. In the automated maintenance mode, the controller automatically executes a maintenance using the maintenance portion in response to a maintenance execution condition being met. Based on control information acquired, the controller switches an operating mode of the printing device from a first operating mode of selectively executing the manual maintenance mode and the automated maintenance mode to a second operation mode of executing the automated maintenance mode without executing the manual maintenance mode.

An inkjet recording apparatus includes: an inkjet head that has nozzles that discharge ink; a pressure applicator that applies an external force to the ink; a hardware processor; and a flow detector. The hardware processor controls a maintenance mode in which the pressure applicator applies the external force to the ink and forces the ink to be discharged from the nozzles. The flow detector detects flow of the ink discharged from the nozzles by the pressure applicator during the maintenance mode. The hardware processor then determines an ink discharge status at the nozzles based on a detection result by the flow detector.

There is provided an image recording apparatus, including: a conveyer; a recording head; a carriage; a signal output circuit; and a controller. When recording is performed by a multi-pass recording mode, when the number of defective-discharge nozzles is less than a predefined value, when a discharge-defective nozzle, in which a dot recording ratio using a first mask data is equal to or more than a threshold value, is included in nozzles, and when a discharge-defective nozzle, in which a dot recording ratio using a second mask data is equal to or more than the threshold value, is not included in the nozzles, the controller sets the second mask data as a used mask data and performs recording without a suction purge. In other cases, the controller sets the first mask data as the used mask data and performs a purge process before recording as needed.

A purge cycle is performed with an ink delivery system of an inkjet printer by applying a pressure pulse to a printhead in the printer that is substantially shorter than pressure pulses previously used. A pressure at a predetermined threshold is generated behind a valve and then release to the printhead. The duration of the pressure application is in a range of about 150 milliseconds to about 250 milliseconds. This pressure pulse substantially reduces the amount of ink emitted during the purge. A bidirectional wipe of the printhead face is effective for restoring inkjets in the printhead even though the amount of emitted ink is substantially reduced.

A method of inspecting a dispenser including a faceplate comprises translating a sensor across the faceplate while measuring a distance between the sensor and the faceplate. The sensor is oriented such that a longitudinal axis of the sensor extends at an acute angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the faceplate. The method may include translating another sensor across the faceplate while measuring the same distance. Or the method may include another translating of the sensor across the faceplate while measuring the same distance. In either case, the sensor is oriented such that the longitudinal axis of the sensor extends at an obtuse angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the faceplate. The method includes determining, based on the measured distances, whether an amount of accumulated formable material on the surface of the faceplate is greater than a predetermined value.

There is provided print apparatus including: piezoelectric member; individual electrode; first and second common electrodes; voltage application circuit; detection circuit configured to detect a capacitance of a first capacitor configured by the piezoelectric member, the individual electrode, and the first common electrode and a second capacitor configured by the piezoelectric member, the individual electrode, and the second common electrode; first switching element; and control circuit. The control circuit is configured to execute; a first voltage application process to apply a first voltage to the second common electrode in order to discharge the ink; a detection process to detect the capacitance after electrically connecting the piezoelectric member and the detection circuit with the first switching element; and a second voltage application process to apply a second voltage to the second common electrode before the detection process, the second voltage being lower than the first voltage.

Methods are disclosed relating to the operation of a micro-structural fluid ejector in a fluid printing apparatus. The methods include providing an imaging system, capturing a digital image of the micro-structural fluid ejector and its surroundings, and pre-processing the digital image to detect edges. A method of detecting contact of a micro-structural fluid ejector to a substrate includes repeatedly lowering the print head and measuring the length of a detected edge until the currently measured length is determined to be longer than a previously measured length. A method of adjusting contact of a micro-structural fluid ejector to a substrate includes calculating a bending coefficient A of the micro-structural fluid ejector and lowering the print head toward the substrate if the bending coefficient A is less than a minimum threshold value A.sub.min, raising the print head away from the substrate if the bending coefficient A is greater than a maximum threshold value A.sub.max, and making no change to the vertical displacement of the print head if the bending coefficient A is in the range of A.sub.min to A.sub.max. A method of detecting a fault condition in fluid flow from a micro-structural fluid ejector onto a substrate includes analyzing the digital image to determine whether edges are present in a region of interest where fluid dispensed from the micro-structural fluid ejector should be present.

A liquid ejection apparatus includes: a liquid ejection head having nozzles; a signal output device; a recovery device configured to perform a first recovery operation or a second recovery operation, to discharge liquid from the nozzles; and a controller configured to: in response to receiving a second signal, activate the signal output device, and drive the liquid ejection head in a check mode for ejecting liquid from the nozzles, the second signal instructing to record a check pattern on a recording medium; in response to receiving a first signal indicating that a first nozzle being one of the nozzles is in failure in liquid ejection when the liquid ejection head in driven in the check mode, activate the recovery device to perform the first recovery operation; and subsequent to the first recovery operation, drive the liquid ejection head to record the check pattern on the recording medium.

In a device for regenerating a print head of an inkjet printing device, a fluid is applied onto the nozzle plate of the print head. The one or more nozzles of the print head can be subsequently operated with one or more no-ejection pulses to produce the effect that fluid is drawn from the nozzle plate into the one or more nozzles and mixes with the ink in the one or more nozzles that the viscosity of the ink in the one or more nozzles is reduced.