The print head cover (83) of an electrostatic deflection inkjet printer is made of a material having an electrical surface resistivity of no more than 10.sup.12 ohms per square or an electrical volume resistivity of no more than 10.sup.9 ohm metres and is electrically connected to an earth line (93, 97). This prevents build-up of electric charge on the cover (83). The resistance from the surface of the cover (83) to a place where a cover earth line (93) joins a signal earth line (97) or enters the umbilical (7) is at least 16000 times the resistance from that place to earth. This prevents an electrostatic discharge to the cover (83) disrupting the electronic circuits. The high resistance earth connection for the cover (83) avoids the need for an earthing wire braid in the umbilical (7). The cover (83) may be moulded from an antistatic or static dissipative material.

To realize high-quality printing with less printing distortion by reducing an influence of a Coulomb force that acts between ink particles which are ejected in an inkjet recording device. The inkjet recording device is configured to charge ink particles ejected from a nozzle, deflect the charged ink particles, and print a character in a shape of an object to be printed. In the inkjet recording device, dots of each column of the character to be printed are divided into a plurality of blocks in a column direction. In addition, charging voltage data in which the order of the ink particles corresponding to the dots is switched in the divided block unit is stored, and a predetermined charging voltage is applied to the charging electrode on the basis of the charging voltage data.

To realize high-quality printing with less printing distortion by reducing an influence of a Coulomb force that acts between ink particles which are ejected in an inkjet recording device. The inkjet recording device is configured to charge ink particles ejected from a nozzle, deflect the charged ink particles, and print a character in a shape of an object to be printed. In the inkjet recording device, dots of each column of the character to be printed are divided into a plurality of blocks in a column direction. In addition, charging voltage data in which the order of the ink particles corresponding to the dots is switched in the divided block unit is stored, and a predetermined charging voltage is applied to the charging electrode on the basis of the charging voltage data.

An inkjet recording device and a method for controlling an inkjet recording device are provided. A heating device that heats the ink to be supplied to a nozzle immediately ahead of the nozzle, a thermometer that detects a temperature of the ink inside the heating device or after heating, a viscometer that detects a viscosity of the ink in a main ink container are provided. The heating device is driven using a detection value of the thermometer to control the temperature of the ink such that the viscosity reaches an ink viscosity which enables normal printing, and when the viscosity of the ink is out of a range which enables printing, the solvent or the replenishment ink is supplied to the main ink container using a detection value of the viscometer such that the viscosity reaches the range which enables normal printing.

To realize high-quality printing with less printing distortion by reducing an influence of a Coulomb force that acts between ink particles which are ejected in an inkjet recording device.

The inkjet recording device is configured to charge ink particles ejected from a nozzle, deflect the charged ink particles, and print a character in a shape of an object to be printed. In the inkjet recording device, dots of each column of the character to be printed are divided into a plurality of blocks in a column direction. In addition, charging voltage data in which the order of the ink particles corresponding to the dots is switched in the divided block unit is stored, and a predetermined charging voltage is applied to the charging electrode on the basis of the charging voltage data.

To realize high-quality printing with less printing distortion by reducing an influence of a Coulomb force that acts between ink particles which are ejected in an inkjet recording device.

The inkjet recording device is configured to charge ink particles ejected from a nozzle, deflect the charged ink particles, and print a character in a shape of an object to be printed. In the inkjet recording device, dots of each column of the character to be printed are divided into a plurality of blocks in a column direction. In addition, charging voltage data in which the order of the ink particles corresponding to the dots is switched in the divided block unit is stored, and a predetermined charging voltage is applied to the charging electrode on the basis of the charging voltage data.

An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording device capable of adjusting a clearance between prints formed by two nozzles (114, 115), and capable of printing a print content at a high speed. In order to achieve the object, there is provided an inkjet recording device which has two sub-print heads including nozzles (114, 115), charging electrodes (116, 117), deflection electrodes (118, 119), and gutters (120, 121), in which the two nozzles are disposed in a deflection direction of ink particles, and which performs printing on a printed object (124) while moving the printed object (124) relative to the ink particles in a direction substantially perpendicular to the deflection direction of the ink particles, the inkjet recording device having a function for reducing a clearance between print results (125, 126), printed by the two nozzles (114, 115), by controlling a voltage applied to the charging electrodes (116, 117) and a voltage applied to the deflection electrode (118, 119).

An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording device capable of adjusting a clearance between prints formed by two nozzles (114, 115), and capable of printing a print content at a high speed. In order to achieve the object, there is provided an inkjet recording device which has two sub-print heads including nozzles (114, 115), charging electrodes (116, 117), deflection electrodes (118, 119), and gutters (120, 121), in which the two nozzles are disposed in a deflection direction of ink particles, and which performs printing on a printed object (124) while moving the printed object (124) relative to the ink particles in a direction substantially perpendicular to the deflection direction of the ink particles, the inkjet recording device having a function for reducing a clearance between print results (125, 126), printed by the two nozzles (114, 115), by controlling a voltage applied to the charging electrodes (116, 117) and a voltage applied to the deflection electrode (118, 119).

The invention describes a number of methods and apparatus for shortening the inter-message gap on a continuous inkjet printer. Included is a novel phase testing methodology.

There is provided a charge electrode for charging ink droplets for continuous ink jet printing. The charge electrode has a generally cylindrical main body defining a generally cylindrical passage for the ink droplets, said passage extending along a travel axis that represents, in use, the position of an ink jet in ingress to the electrode and a direction of travel of the ink droplets once these have detached from the ink jet. The charge electrode comprises two distinct axially disposed regions: a first region for charging the droplets as required; and, a second region for screening the charged droplets from any electric fields which could undesirably affect the trajectory of the ink jet and/or the droplets. The second region may fully surround at least a portion of the travel axis. The invention therefore provides improved screening for the ink jet and/or the droplets. This may in turn enable better control of the charge applied to the charged droplets, and/or of their travel trajectory.