In a state where a distance from an ejection port surface of an ejection head to a predetermined position corresponds to a first distance, a period detection unit detects a first period from when ejection of a droplet from an ejection port is started until when a droplet detection unit detects the droplet, and in a state where the distance from the ejection port surface of the ejection head to the predetermined position is changed to a second distance by a change unit, the period detection unit detects a second period from when ejection of a droplet from the ejection port is started until when the droplet detection unit detects the droplet, the second distance being different from the first distance. A calculation unit calculates an ejection speed of the droplet, based on the first distance, the second distance, the first period, and the second period.

An image forming apparatus includes a rotational conveying unit for conveying a recording medium by rotating about a rotational axis. A head unit includes n nozzle rows in a conveying direction perpendicular to an axial direction parallel to the rotational axis. Each of the n nozzle rows includes nozzles aligned as a nozzle row in the axial direction. Each n nozzle row is arranged at a distance of d1 to d(n−1) from a predetermined reference nozzle row. A circuit outputs a rotational amount detection signal, and a conveying amount detection signal, and generates a discharge synchronization signal based on the detected rotational amount detection signal and the detected conveying amount detection signal, then generates a nozzle row timing signal based on the distance of the d1 to d(n−1) and the discharge synchronization signal, and generates discharge data based on the discharge synchronization signal and the nozzle row timing signal.

An ejection apparatus includes an ejection head configured to eject a droplet from an ejection port on an ejection port surface, a droplet detection unit configured to detect arrival of the droplet ejected from the ejection port at a predetermined position, an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about an ejection speed that is a moving speed of the droplet detected by the droplet detection unit, and a determination unit configured to determine subsequent timings for acquiring an ejection speed by the acquisition unit, based on the ejection speed acquired by the acquisition unit at a preceding timing of the subsequent timings.

There is provided an inkjet printing apparatus comprising a printhead in which a plurality of ejection ports that eject ink are formed, a carriage mounted with the printhead and reciprocated in a predetermined direction, a conveyance unit to convey a print medium by an ink droplet ejected from the printhead, a platen to support, at a printing position, the conveyed print medium, and an obtaining unit to obtain information regarding a distance from an ejection port surface of the printhead to the print medium at positions in the predetermined direction. The apparatus controls an ink ejection timing in accordance with the information regarding the obtained distance and information corresponding to the number of passes of printing, which is the number of times of moving the carriage to print the image in a unit area of the print medium.

A printing apparatus for printing on a printing medium transported includes the following elements. A print head including a plurality of print head modules, a printing controller for controlling printing of a testing chart by selecting a reference print head module to provide a reference for recording positions, causing the reference print head module to print a reference chart, and causing one of the print head modules shifted relative to the reference print head module to print a comparison chart, a scanner for acquiring testing image data, an image processor for creating an extract reference chart, creating an extract comparison chart, and creating a composite testing chart by superimposing these charts, and a deviation amount calculator for calculating a deviation amount based on the composite testing chart.

A repeatable manufacturing process uses a printer to deposits liquid for each product carried by a substrate to form respective thin films. The liquid is dried, cured or otherwise processed to form from the liquid a permanent layer of each respective product. To perform printing, each newly-introduced substrate is roughly mechanically aligned, with an optical system detecting sub-millimeter misalignment, and with software correcting for misalignment. Rendering of adjusted data is performed such that nozzles are variously assigned dependent on misalignment to deposit droplets in a regulated manner, to ensure precise deposition of liquid for each given area of the substrate. For example, applied to the manufacture of flat panel displays, software ensures that exactly the right amount of liquid is deposited for each “pixel” of the display, to minimize likelihood of visible discrepancies in the resultant display.

An example of a printing apparatus is disclosed. The printing apparatus comprises a carriage comprising a printhead to spit a printing fluid, the carriage to move over a service zone and a print zone. The printing apparatus also comprises a controller to determine a spit location within the service zone associate with the printing fluid; and spit, during the service operation, an amount of the printing fluid at the spit location of the service zone associated to the printing fluid.

In order to determine the nip between a print head and a printing substrate in an ink printing apparatus, ink droplets of a first and second size are simultaneously fired toward the printing substrate by different nozzles of a nozzle row of the print head given a predetermined feed velocity of the printing substrate, whereby print dots of a first size are generated on the printing substrate in a first two print dot row and print dots of a second size are generated on the printing substrate in a second two print dot row. The clearance of the first two print dot row from the second two print dot row is subsequently measured, and the size of the nip is determined from the measured clearance.

A liquid drop discharge apparatus is proposed. The liquid drop discharge apparatus includes: an inkjet head discharging ink to each of pixels of a substrate; a laser emitter coupled to the inkjet head, and emitting an aiming laser beam by which a discharged position of a liquid drop from the inkjet head to each of the pixels is aimed; a camera capturing an emitted position of the aiming laser beam on the substrate; and a position alignment unit aligning a position of the inkjet head on the basis of image data obtained from the shooting unit.

A method of digital printing is disclosed in which a digital image to be printed has at least one region having pixels comprising superpositioned layers of a first ink and a second ink. The method includes producing at least one sample print and calibrating misalignment of the superpositioned layers at a plurality of calibration locations on the sample print. The resultant misalignment data is provided to a morphing program to determine a pre-deformation of the digital image to compensate for misalignment during printing. An apparatus and a machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions executable by a processor are also disclosed.