A maintenance operation can be executed by ejecting a liquid when a time measured with reference to displacement of a cap from a maintenance position to a separation position exceeds a defined time. Before start of a recording operation in a recording job, a first medium waits at a standby position where the medium can wait upstream of a liquid ejection head. The cap is located at the separation position when a first medium in the recording job is waiting at the standby position. During an initial control period, in parallel with the maintenance operation, a post-processing operation can be executed on a second number of media that is smaller than a first number of media, and a post-processing operation can be executed on the first number of media in parallel with the maintenance operation after end of the initial control period.

An ink jet recording apparatus includes a cap, a control unit, and a recording unit having nozzle arrays each including a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink in an image recording operation. The cap receives ink preliminarily ejected from the recording unit. The control unit controls an ejection operation to eject ink in response to receiving a recording command to cause an amount of ink ejected from a first nozzle group in a first preliminary ejection executed prior to the recording operation of the image to be smaller than an amount of ink ejected from a second nozzle group different from the first nozzle group in a second preliminary ejection executed prior to the recording operation of the image in a case where the recording command includes an instruction for recording the image by using the second nozzle group without using the first nozzle group among the plurality of nozzles.

A print head assembled to a liquid ejecting apparatus ejecting a liquid with respect to a medium includes an ejecting portion ejecting the liquid in response to a drive signal and an electrically erasable non-volatile memory, and the non-volatile memory stores history information changing in accordance with an operation state of the print head.

A controller includes a second controller that periodically performs a flushing operation of injecting a predetermined amount of ink from a nozzle, a third controller that repeatedly performs the flushing operation until a remaining amount of the ink in a storage chamber after the flushing operation is detected by a detector to be a first amount, a first counter that counts a first operation number of times of the flushing operation, and a fourth controller that performs a first cleaning operation of absorbing a fluid in a sealed space by a suction pump when the first operation number of times counted by the first counter reaches a first threshold value.

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.

Example systems and methods may relate to controlling a printing device. Specifically, systems may include a processing device and a printing device. The processing device may be configured to determine an image corresponding to a command for performing maintenance on a printing device. Such a command may include a command to restart device, clean memory, or set sleep mode, for example. The processing device may also render the image on a portable medium. The printing device may read the image using a scanner or other reading device. The printing device may then determine that a command corresponds to the image read. The printing device may then execute the command that corresponds to the image read.

A printing device is configured to be used simultaneously with other printing devices and includes: a print unit configured to print by ejecting ink from nozzles; a timekeeping unit configured to keep time; a storage configured to store a reference period for executing a nozzle maintenance operation, the reference period being initially set at an initial reference period; and a maintenance processor configured to: execute a nozzle maintenance operation each time the reference period passes based on the time kept by the timekeeping unit, change the reference period stored in the storage from the initial reference period to a changed reference period such that a timing of the nozzle maintenance operation differs from a timing of the nozzle maintenance operation of at least one of the other printing devices, and execute the nozzle maintenance operation after the changed reference period passes.

A data-generating unit of an inkjet recording apparatus recognizes, based on a detection signal of a recording medium output from a recording medium detection sensor, an open part region that is a region of an open part located in a position shifted from a recording medium detected by the recording medium detection sensor in a transport direction among regions of a plurality of open parts included in an open part reading data read by an open part detection sensor to generate flushing data in accordance with the open part region. A flushing control unit recognizes at least one non-image-forming period in which the open part corresponding to the region passes a position facing the recording head by running of the transport belt, based on the detection signal, and causes the recording head to execute flushing, based on flushing data, in the at least one non-image-forming period.

A method of operating an ink jet printer with an included printer controller, where the ink jet printer prints using a replaceable print head that includes a nozzle plate and an ink reservoir. The printer controller tracks a usage of ink from the ink reservoir and a number of completed nozzle plate wiping operations. The print controller determines, prior to initiating each nozzle plate wiping operation, whether to initiate an inter-layer spitting operation instead of the nozzle plate wiping operation. The printer controller initiates the determined one of the wiping operation and the spitting operation.

A printing apparatus includes: a flushing determination unit, and a storage unit, wherein the flushing determination unit is configured to: calculate a temporary return position, a temporary reciprocating movement time that is necessary when the carriage is returned at the temporary return position, and a threshold value that is a longest non-ejection time during which printing can be performed in a stable manner at an environmental temperature measured by a thermometer, based on print data to be printed in reciprocating movement of the carriage; and determine whether the temporary reciprocating movement time exceeds the threshold value, wherein when the temporary reciprocating movement time exceeds the threshold value, the flushing determination unit sets a position at which the one reciprocating movement time becomes longer than the temporary reciprocating movement time as a return position in the reciprocating movement, and determines to perform the flushing in a return path.