A motorized latch assembly includes an electric motor, an eccentric cam attached via gears to a shaft of the motor and a latch plate configured to lock the reagent cartridge to the coupler. The eccentric cam is rotated when the shaft of the motor rotates. When the eccentric cam is rotated so that the eccentric cam presses down upon the latch plate, the latch plate moves a sufficient distance to permit the reagent cartridge to be disconnected from the coupler.

According to one embodiment, an ink circulation device includes a first tank which stores ink to be supplied to an ink jet head, a second tank which stores the ink returned from the ink jet head, and a circulation pump which circulates the ink stored in the second tank to the first tank. In addition, the ink circulation device according to the embodiment further includes a heating device which is in contact with and heats a bottom surface of the first tank, a bottom surface of the second tank, and a bottom surface of the circulation pump.

A printing apparatus includes a printing cylinder (17) that holds and transfers a sheet (4), a supply-side transfer cylinder (16 (sheet supply unit)) that supplies the sheet (4) to the printing cylinder (17) at a supply position (P1), and first to fourth inkjet heads (27-30). The printing apparatus includes a transfer mechanism (18) that receives the sheet (4) after printing at a receiving position (P2) and transfers the sheet (4) to one of a discharge route (44) and a reversing route (42). The reversing route (42) employs an arrangement that returns the reversed sheet (4) to the printing cylinder (17) at a return position (P3) located on the downstream side of the receiving position (P2) in the transfer direction of the sheet (4) and on the upstream side of the supply position (P1) in the transfer direction of the sheet (4). A cooling means (45) for cooling the transfer surface (24 (outer peripheral surface)) of the printing cylinder (17) is provided between the receiving position (P2) and the return position (P3). It is possible to provide the printing apparatus that suppresses an increase in the temperature of the transfer surface of the printing cylinder and always sets the temperature of the sheet at an appropriate temperature.

A print head has a jet stack, a jet stack heating and temperature measuring element thermally connected to the jet stack, the jet stack heating and temperature measuring element including: a first, etched copper layer having heat spreading characteristics and including a resistive heat source electrically connected in series to a voltage source and a switch; an electrically insulative on a back side of the first copper layer; and a second, etched copper layer on a side of the electrically insulative layer opposite the first copper layer, the second copper layer having a temperature sensing element to sense a temperature of the print head without a thermistor, the temperature sensing element connected in series with a voltage source and a transistor. A print head may use a thermistor but the heat spreading layer eliminates the need for a heat sink to attach to the print head.

An ink jet recording apparatus includes an ejector, a fixing unit, a reversing unit and a hardware processor. The ejector performs an ejection operation of ejecting a color material and an overcoat material onto a recording medium. The fixing unit fixes the overcoat material, thereby forming an overcoat on the medium. The reversing unit reverses the medium. The processor causes the fixing unit to form the overcoat on one side of the medium after causing the ejector to perform the ejection operation on the one side at a predetermined ejection position, causes the reversing unit to reverse the medium with the overcoat formed on the one side, and causes the fixing unit to form the overcoat on the other side of the medium after causing the ejector to perform the ejection operation on the other side at the ejection position.

An image recording method includes a first intermediate image forming step of applying an ink onto an intermediate transfer member to form a first intermediate image, a second intermediate image forming step of applying a transfer assisting liquid containing thermoplastic resin particles and rosin-based resin particles to the first intermediate image formed on the intermediate transfer member to form a second intermediate image, and a transfer step of bringing the second intermediate image formed on the intermediate transfer member into contact with a recording medium, peeling off the second intermediate image from the intermediate transfer member while the contact state with the recording medium is maintained, and transferring the second intermediate image to the recording medium. In the transfer step, the second intermediate image brought into contact with the recording medium has a temperature not less than the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic resin particles.

Print head jet stack heating and temperature measurement systems and methods are disclosed that both heat the jet stack and determine a temperature of the jet stack. The heating and temperature determination are performed by a flex circuit that includes multiple layers. One of the layers heats the jet stack and another one of the layers provides data that determines the temperature of the jet stack. The heating layer and the temperature sensing layer are separated by an insulative material in the flex circuit. The temperature of the jet stack can be sent to a print head controller that then determines whether to increase or decrease the temperature of the jet stack.

An inkjet print head including a plurality of single jet elements. Each of the single jet elements includes an aperture configured to eject ink during a jetting event, and a channel for receiving ink, the channeling including a recirculation portion configured to receive ink during a non-jetting event. The print head also includes a first manifold structured to supply ink to the channel, and a second manifold structured to receive ink from the recirculation portion of the channel. The ink flows from the inlet portion to the second outlet portion during non-jetting through the second outlet portion.

Functional amine release agents displaying improved wetting as compared to standard silicone oils comprise a polydimethylsiloxane oil and a functional amine selected from the group consisting of pendant propylamines and pendant N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl, in which the concentration of functional amine to polydimethylsiloxane oil is approximately less than 0.0006 meq/g and the release agents have a viscosity of 20 cSt and 10 cSt. In an in-line tandem print system, the 20 cSt release agent is used in the upstream print engine while the 10 cSt release agent is used in the downstream print engine.

For various embodiments of a printhead assembly or ink stick assembly of the present teachings, each an ink stick assembly can be a self-contained assembly, of which a plurality of self-contained ink stick assemblies can be readily interchanged into a printing system during a printing process. Various embodiments of a self-contained ink stick assembly can have a fluidic system that can include a local ink reservoir, which can be in fluid communication with a bulk ink reservoir. Filling of a bulk ink reservoir can be done in a manual or automated mode. According to the present teachings, a bulk ink reservoir can have a volume sufficient to provide a continuous supply of ink to a local ink reservoir over the course of a printing process.